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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: sharp · net · stem · rush · leaves · ground · march · pop

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — crushed
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. net — for catching
  11. pop — soda
  12. rush — hurry
  13. net — in sport
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — music
  18. march — the month
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. stem — to come from
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. march — music
  23. net — after costs
  24. ground — the earth

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