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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: net · mouse · last · shower · bound · plane · stem · land

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. shower — to wash
  4. last — finally
  5. net — after costs
  6. bound — obliged
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. land — ground
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. last — final
  11. plane — a tool
  12. stem — to come from
  13. shower — rain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. land — a country
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. net — in sport
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. land — to come down
  21. net — for catching
  22. last — to go on
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bound — certain

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