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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.

Words on the sheet
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: plane · stem · game · net · straw · bass · bound · capital

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. net — after costs
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. net — for catching
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. capital — money
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bound — tied together
  13. capital — a city
  14. bound — obliged
  15. net — in sport
  16. stem — to come from
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bass — low music
  23. game — a match
  24. bound — certain

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