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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: last · season · mouse · kid · object · stem · net · fork

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. last — finally
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. kid — child
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. object — an aim
  9. net — after costs
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. last — final
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. season — of the year
  14. stem — to come from
  15. season — in sport
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. kid — to tease
  18. object — a thing
  19. last — to go on
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. object — to protest
  22. fork — in a road
  23. net — in sport
  24. season — to add flavour

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