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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: fan · ruler · mark · straw · wave · cell · stem · net

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. cell — a phone
  3. net — for catching
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. net — in sport
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. cell — in biology
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. net — after costs

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