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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: rush · court · net · chip · mouse · fan · tube · stem

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. court — for sport
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. court — of law
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. stem — to come from
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rush — hurry
  16. net — for catching
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. net — in sport
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — to eat
  23. court — of a king
  24. net — after costs

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