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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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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 · bank · present · pop · fall · stem · bass · wake

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bass — the fish
  3. present — there
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. pop — music
  7. net — in sport
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. present — a gift
  14. bass — low music
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bank — for money
  19. present — the time now
  20. stem — to come from
  21. pop — to visit
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pop — soda
  24. wake — a trail

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