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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: net · rest · key · hand · stem · object · mug · mine

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — a face
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rest — what's left
  7. net — in sport
  8. stem — to come from
  9. object — a thing
  10. key — the most important part
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mug — to rob
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. key — for a lock
  15. net — after costs
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. hand — help
  20. net — for catching
  21. object — an aim
  22. rest — a break
  23. key — in music
  24. stem — a stem cell

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