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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: can · chest · net · fork · dip · mark · stem · hand

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. hand — help
  3. can — a tin
  4. net — in sport
  5. chest — a box
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. can — a tin
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. net — after costs
  11. mark — a grade
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. can — to be able to
  15. dip — to sink
  16. fork — in a road
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. net — for catching
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. mark — a trace
  23. stem — to come from
  24. chest — of your body

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