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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: pop · net · season · snap · bowl · stem · cap · shower

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. net — after costs
  3. pop — to visit
  4. cap — a hat
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. net — for catching
  9. season — in sport
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. pop — soda
  12. net — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. stem — to come from
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pop — music
  20. shower — rain
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. shower — to wash
  23. snap — to click
  24. bowl — a football final

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