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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: bank · court · squash · net · plane · race · stem · cabinet

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. bank — for money
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. bank — for money
  11. court — of law
  12. race — the arms race
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. squash — to crush
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — in sport
  17. race — humankind
  18. squash — the sport
  19. race — a contest
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bank — of a river
  23. net — after costs
  24. cabinet — ministers

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