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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: nail · cabinet · saw · degree · net · wind · wound · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. wound — an injury
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. net — after costs
  9. degree — temperature
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stem — to come from
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. net — in sport
  18. wound — an injury
  19. degree — an amount
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. net — for catching
  23. degree — from a university
  24. stem — of a plant

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