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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 120 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.

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

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. object — to protest
  3. march — music
  4. ground — crushed
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. net — for catching
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. staff — a stick
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. staff — employees
  11. can — a tin
  12. staff — employees
  13. can — to be able to
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. march — the month
  16. net — after costs
  17. ground — a position
  18. can — a tin
  19. march — the month
  20. stem — to come from
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — an aim
  23. ground — the earth
  24. stem — a stem cell

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