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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: tube · net · plane · wake · perch · ball · squash · stem

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. squash — the sport
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. net — after costs
  14. wake — a trail
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — a tool
  17. tube — a container
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. perch — the fish
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a dance
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. squash — to crush

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