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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 · nail · mine · kid · staff · pound · pop · season

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mine — for digging
  3. season — in sport
  4. kid — child
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. net — for catching
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pop — soda
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. staff — employees
  13. net — after costs
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. pop — music
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. net — in sport
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. kid — to tease
  23. season — of the year
  24. pound — for dogs

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