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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
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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 · row · date · squash · bay · mine · kick · stem

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — a line
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. stem — to come from
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — for digging
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. kick — in football
  16. squash — to crush
  17. row — to paddle
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. net — after costs
  24. mine — an explosive

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