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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: march · stem · net · tear · fan · mouse · club · ground

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. net — after costs
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. ground — the earth
  6. net — in sport
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. club — for dancing
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. club — for golf
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. club — a group
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. net — for catching
  16. ground — a position
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stem — to come from
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. tear — from crying

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