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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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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: wind · net · stand · prune · bulb · cue · rest · stem

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stand — to bear
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. rest — a break
  7. cue — a signal
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cue — a hint
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bulb — for light
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — in sport
  22. rest — what's left
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. rest — what's left

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