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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.

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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: mine · ground · wound · net · lie · racket · prune · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mine — for digging
  7. prune — to trim
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. prune — to trim
  12. ground — crushed
  13. net — in sport
  14. lie — to recline
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. chip — for betting
  19. net — for catching
  20. ground — a position
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. net — after costs

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