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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.

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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: fine · club · net · rush · saw · root · field · stick

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. club — for dancing
  4. root — the cause
  5. club — for golf
  6. root — of a plant
  7. fine — all right
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. club — a group
  17. root — of a word
  18. saw — the tool
  19. field — for sport
  20. fine — high quality
  21. net — in sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — farmland
  24. net — for catching

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