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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · net · stem · fork · squash · fan · present · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. mine — for digging
  3. net — in sport
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. net — for catching
  8. squash — to crush
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — there
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. stem — to come from
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. squash — the sport
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. fork — in a road
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. net — after costs
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. present — the time now

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