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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · rest · ball · mine · racket · rash · spring · jam

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. spring — a coil
  6. ball — a great time
  7. tear — from crying
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. spring — of water
  10. rest — what's left
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rash — a series
  20. spring — the season
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. ball — a dance
  24. jam — in traffic

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com