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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 120 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: root · pitcher · ground · arm · fall · dip · land · net

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. net — for catching
  3. ground — the earth
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. root — the cause
  7. ground — crushed
  8. dip — to sink
  9. fall — to drop
  10. land — ground
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. root — of a plant
  13. fall — the season
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. net — in sport
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. ground — a position
  22. net — after costs
  23. root — of a word
  24. pitcher — a jug

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