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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.

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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: present · jam · mark · net · stem · season

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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. present — there
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. present — a gift
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mark — a grade
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. present — the time now
  10. mark — a trace
  11. season — in sport
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. net — for catching
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. season — of the year

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