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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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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: net · lash · shower · bound · stem · mine

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mine — for digging
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. stem — to come from
  6. net — after costs
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. net — for catching
  16. bound — tied together
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — rain

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