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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: bay · stem · can · cell · hand · date · object · net

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. net — for catching
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. object — to protest
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. object — a thing
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. net — in sport
  10. cell — a phone
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. can — a tin
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. net — after costs
  16. object — an aim
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. can — a tin
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. hand — in cards
  22. stem — to come from
  23. cell — in biology
  24. hand — help

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