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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 116 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 · band · club · bat · ball · rock · race

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. race — humankind
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. ball — a dance
  6. race — a contest
  7. ball — a great time
  8. rock — a stone
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bat — the animal
  11. club — a group
  12. band — a ring
  13. club — for dancing
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. club — for golf
  16. net — in sport
  17. race — the arms race
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. rock — music
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a music group
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. net — after costs
  24. bat — in an idiom

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