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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 · stem · can · sharp · mug · snap · land · object

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. net — for catching
  3. stem — to come from
  4. net — after costs
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. object — a thing
  7. mug — a face
  8. object — to protest
  9. mug — to rob
  10. land — a country
  11. snap — to click
  12. mug — a cup
  13. object — an aim
  14. can — a tin
  15. net — in sport
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. land — ground
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. stem — of a plant

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