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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: key · fine · bowl · clip · stem · bear · net · track

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. fine — all right
  5. clip — for paper
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. net — after costs
  9. track — a song
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. key — in music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. track — a path
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bear — the animal
  18. clip — to cut
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. clip — a video
  22. stem — to come from
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bowl — a football final

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