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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 120 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 · cabinet · field · snap · stem · mate · branch · shower

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. field — for sport
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stem — to come from
  5. shower — to wash
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. branch — a division
  8. mate — to breed
  9. field — a subject
  10. net — for catching
  11. mate — a partner
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — in sport
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. shower — rain
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. field — farmland
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. mate — a friend

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