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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: land · drill · saw · march · root · mouse · current · net

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. drill — army training
  3. root — of a word
  4. land — ground
  5. drill — a practice
  6. saw — the tool
  7. net — in sport
  8. land — a country
  9. march — music
  10. saw — the tool
  11. root — of a plant
  12. net — for catching
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. current — of water
  15. march — the month
  16. current — happening now
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. root — the cause
  20. land — to come down
  21. march — the month
  22. drill — the tool
  23. net — after costs
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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