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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: mine · nail · net · root · wound · rock · mouse · land

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — music
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. root — of a word
  7. net — after costs
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. net — in sport
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. net — for catching
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rock — a stone
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. root — the cause
  18. mine — for digging
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. root — of a plant
  24. land — to come down

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