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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 · saw · bass · can · hand · stem · pit · sharp

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. pit — a hole
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bass — low music
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. net — after costs
  10. can — to be able to
  11. sharp — clever
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pit — in a race
  14. hand — in cards
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. hand — help
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. net — for catching
  19. bass — the fish
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. net — in sport
  23. saw — the tool
  24. hand — part of the 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