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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: pop · can · bowl · sharp · pitcher · stem · bass · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pop — soda
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — low music
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. pop — music
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pop — to visit
  20. net — for catching
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. net — in sport
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. stem — to come from

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