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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.

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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: net · ground · nail · band · arm · spring · rash · foot

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. rash — hasty
  4. band — a music group
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. foot — a measure
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. spring — a coil
  10. net — for catching
  11. ground — the earth
  12. rash — a series
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. net — after costs
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. ground — a position
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. band — a ring
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. ground — crushed

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