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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: bore · root · rule · net · spring · club · ground · mine

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. ground — a position
  3. net — for catching
  4. bore — to drill
  5. rule — a law
  6. ground — the earth
  7. spring — the season
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. net — in sport
  11. spring — a coil
  12. club — for dancing
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — government
  15. root — of a word
  16. ground — crushed
  17. spring — of water
  18. club — a group
  19. mine — for digging
  20. club — for golf
  21. root — the cause
  22. bore — to tire
  23. root — of a plant
  24. mine — belonging to me

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