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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: net · stem · track · perch · season · pitcher · squash · can

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. season — of the year
  4. squash — the sport
  5. net — in sport
  6. stem — to come from
  7. can — to be able to
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. net — after costs
  10. season — in sport
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. squash — to crush
  15. perch — the fish
  16. net — for catching
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. track — a path
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. season — to add flavour

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