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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: net · foot · cabinet · ground · bulb · mine · coach · saw

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. net — after costs
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mine — for digging
  5. ground — the earth
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. net — in sport
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. foot — a measure
  21. ground — crushed
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. ground — a position
  24. net — for catching

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