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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: wave · jam · squash · mug · craft · net · scale · stem

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. stem — to come from
  3. squash — to crush
  4. craft — a skill
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. scale — in music
  9. mug — to rob
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. mug — a face
  12. scale — size or range
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. squash — the sport
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. craft — boats
  19. net — for catching
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. net — in sport
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. mug — a cup
  24. scale — for weighing

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