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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.

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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — in sport
  3. spring — of water
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. spring — a coil
  6. branch — a division
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bulb — for light
  10. present — there
  11. present — the time now
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. net — for catching
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. present — a gift
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. board — to get on
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. stem — to come from
  24. spring — the season

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