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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: last · wave · bear · track · stem · dip · net · ball

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. net — after costs
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. ball — a great time
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. net — in sport
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. track — to keep track
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. last — finally
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. last — final
  18. dip — to sink
  19. last — to go on
  20. stem — to come from
  21. net — for catching
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. ball — a dance

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