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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: mine · cabinet · net · straw · spring · capital · mouse · saw

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. spring — the season
  4. net — for catching
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. net — after costs
  18. spring — a coil
  19. capital — money
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. spring — of water
  23. capital — a city
  24. mouse — for a computer

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