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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 · wake · key · date · stem · wound · can · game

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. net — for catching
  9. can — a tin
  10. key — in music
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. net — in sport
  13. key — for a lock
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — a trail
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. key — the most important part
  19. date — the fruit
  20. net — after costs
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wound — an injury

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