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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: pit · hide · wave · net · march · stem · mine · pound

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. net — for catching
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. pit — a hole
  7. march — the month
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pound — a weight
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. net — after costs
  13. mine — for digging
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. pit — in a race
  19. net — in sport
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. stem — to come from
  24. mine — belonging to me

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