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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: pound · mouse · mine · net · arm · root · bark · fine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. pound — a weight
  3. fine — all right
  4. root — of a plant
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. net — for catching
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. net — after costs
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. root — of a word
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. net — in sport
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bark — to shout
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. root — the cause
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. fine — high quality
  24. pound — for dogs

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