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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: can · staff · content · net · hand · stem · firm · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. firm — decided
  3. present — there
  4. firm — a company
  5. firm — steady
  6. hand — help
  7. can — to be able to
  8. net — for catching
  9. can — a tin
  10. staff — a stick
  11. stem — to come from
  12. content — the amount
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. can — a tin
  15. hand — in cards
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. present — the time now
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. net — after costs
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. net — in sport
  23. content — happy
  24. hand — part of the body

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