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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: stem · bass · suit · wake · dip · net · mine · spring

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mine — for digging
  3. net — for catching
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — the fish
  6. wake — a trail
  7. spring — the season
  8. suit — in cards
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. suit — clothes
  11. net — in sport
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. spring — of water
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. spring — a coil
  19. stem — to come from
  20. dip — to sink
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bass — low music
  23. suit — to fit
  24. dip — a sauce

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