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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: march · net · stick · ground · mine · bank · wave · prune

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. ground — crushed
  4. march — the month
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. march — the month
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. net — for catching
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bank — for money
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — a position
  13. bank — of a river
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bank — for money
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  24. march — music

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