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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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468
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 · pit · stem · tube · spring · foot · racket · rule

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. spring — the season
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. rule — government
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. pit — a hole
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — a container
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. spring — a coil
  16. stem — to come from
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. foot — a measure
  19. pit — in a race
  20. rule — a law
  21. spring — of water
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. stem — a stem cell

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