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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: fan · stem · net · march · tube · clip · race · deal

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. march — music
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. net — after costs
  7. tube — the underground
  8. deal — to handle
  9. race — the arms race
  10. clip — to cut
  11. march — the month
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — humankind
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. march — the month
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. net — for catching
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. stem — to come from
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. net — in sport

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