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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: present · perch · current · tube · stem · rest · net · tear

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — a container
  5. tear — from crying
  6. net — after costs
  7. rest — what's left
  8. net — for catching
  9. present — a gift
  10. rest — a break
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. current — of water
  13. current — electric
  14. stem — to come from
  15. present — there
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. tear — to rip
  18. net — in sport
  19. rest — what's left
  20. present — the time now
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. current — happening now
  23. perch — the fish
  24. tube — in a tire

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