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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: net · snap · roll · root · ruler · mine · field · perch

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  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 — in sport
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. roll — a cake
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. root — of a word
  10. field — a subject
  11. root — the cause
  12. perch — the fish
  13. roll — a list
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. field — farmland
  18. root — of a plant
  19. field — for sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. mine — for digging
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. snap — to click
  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