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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · perch · stem · staff · plane · lash · current · content

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. net — after costs
  3. staff — employees
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. content — happy
  6. current — happening now
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. staff — a stick
  9. net — in sport
  10. perch — the fish
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. current — of water
  15. net — for catching
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. content — the amount
  18. staff — employees
  19. current — electric
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. plane — a tool
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. stem — to come from
  24. plane — in geometry

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