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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: foot · trunk · saw · mine · ball · net · band · mouse

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. net — after costs
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. band — a music group
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. band — a ring
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. foot — a measure
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. ball — a great time
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. mine — for digging
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. foot — the bottom

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