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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 · roll · pass · band · shower · wake · rush · stem

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. stem — to come from
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. roll — a list
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. net — in sport
  12. pass — a permit
  13. band — a music group
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. shower — rain
  17. wake — a trail
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. band — a ring
  21. roll — a cake
  22. net — after costs
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. band — a rubber band

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