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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: shower · degree · file · net · plane · stem · toast · mug

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. degree — from a university
  8. file — a tool
  9. shower — to wash
  10. degree — an amount
  11. file — a document
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. degree — temperature
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. mug — to rob
  16. toast — bread
  17. net — after costs
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. mug — a face
  21. file — a line of people
  22. plane — a tool
  23. mug — a cup
  24. stem — to come from

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