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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: roll · scale · net · rash · stem · wake · ground · row

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. rash — hasty
  4. stem — to come from
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. scale — in music
  9. roll — a cake
  10. ground — a position
  11. wake — a trail
  12. row — a line
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. net — after costs
  16. ground — crushed
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. scale — size or range
  19. roll — a list
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. row — to paddle
  24. ground — the earth

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