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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: land · net · mine · roll · mouse · can

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. 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. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. land — a country
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. can — to be able to
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. can — a tin
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. can — a tin
  15. roll — a list
  16. net — in sport
  17. roll — a cake
  18. 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