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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 116 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. cue — a signal
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. stem — to come from
  5. spring — the season
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. current — happening now
  12. stand — to bear
  13. cue — for pool
  14. net — for catching
  15. spring — a coil
  16. current — electric
  17. cue — a hint
  18. current — of water
  19. net — in sport
  20. land — ground
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. land — to come down
  23. spring — of water
  24. land — a country

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