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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.

Make a worksheet

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: mine · stand · clip · root · pitch · saw · object · net

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. clip — for paper
  5. root — of a word
  6. net — after costs
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — to bear
  9. object — an aim
  10. net — for catching
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. clip — a video
  15. root — of a plant
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. object — a thing
  19. net — in sport
  20. object — to protest
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. root — the cause
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sports field

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