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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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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: bass · snap · stem · perch · row · kick · tube · net

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bass — low music
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. snap — to click
  17. row — a line
  18. kick — in football
  19. tube — the underground
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. stem — to come from
  22. row — to paddle
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. perch — the fish

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