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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.

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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: ground · tear · net · mouse · lie · fork · can · trunk

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. ground — the earth
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. tear — to rip
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. net — for catching
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. lie — to recline
  13. tear — from crying
  14. can — to be able to
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. can — a tin
  20. fork — in a road
  21. tear — from crying
  22. ground — a position
  23. can — a tin
  24. lie — an untruth

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