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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · root · patient · net · saw · wound · race · mine

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. saw — the tool
  3. staff — employees
  4. wound — an injury
  5. staff — employees
  6. root — of a plant
  7. race — the arms race
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. race — humankind
  12. net — in sport
  13. root — of a word
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mine — for digging
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. net — after costs
  18. wound — an injury
  19. net — for catching
  20. root — the cause
  21. staff — a stick
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — an explosive

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