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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: mate · land · club · press · game · deal · stem · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. press — a publisher
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. press — newspapers
  5. game — a match
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. club — for golf
  8. net — in sport
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. press — to push
  12. land — a country
  13. mate — a friend
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. mate — a partner
  16. deal — to handle
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. mate — to breed
  20. land — to come down
  21. game — wild animals
  22. land — ground
  23. net — after costs
  24. stem — to come from

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