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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 120 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: fan · shower · stem · chest · net · can · staff · fork

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — to come from
  3. chest — a box
  4. fork — in a road
  5. staff — employees
  6. net — in sport
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. can — to be able to
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. shower — rain
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. can — a tin
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. net — after costs
  18. chest — of your body
  19. staff — a stick
  20. net — for catching
  21. staff — employees
  22. chest — of your body
  23. can — a tin
  24. stem — a stem cell

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