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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 116 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: mine · field · nail · bass · ruler · content · root · clip

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. root — of a word
  3. bass — low music
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. mine — for digging
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — happy
  8. clip — to cut
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. root — of a plant
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. root — the cause
  16. content — the amount
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. bass — the fish
  20. clip — a video
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. field — a subject
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. clip — for paper

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