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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: season · shower · stem · net · present · plane · craft · march

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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 — to come from
  2. net — after costs
  3. shower — rain
  4. net — for catching
  5. craft — a skill
  6. plane — a tool
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. present — there
  9. season — of the year
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. present — a gift
  12. march — music
  13. present — the time now
  14. march — the month
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. march — the month
  18. net — in sport
  19. shower — to wash
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. craft — boats
  23. season — in sport
  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