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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 116 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: rush · net · stem · race · land · charge · kick · wind

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. net — in sport
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. net — for catching
  5. land — a country
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — a price
  8. kick — in football
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. race — the arms race
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. race — humankind
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wind — moving air
  18. charge — in control
  19. net — after costs
  20. land — to come down
  21. race — a contest
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. land — ground
  24. rush — hurry

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