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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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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 · stem · lie · mate · pitch · shower · branch · plane

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pitch — completely
  3. lie — to recline
  4. shower — rain
  5. net — for catching
  6. mate — a partner
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. mate — to breed
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mate — a friend
  12. net — after costs
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. net — in sport
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. branch — a division
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. plane — a tool
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — to come from
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. shower — to wash

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