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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: deal · nail · root · land · wound · bass · net · race

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. root — the cause
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bass — the fish
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — a contest
  9. wound — an injury
  10. land — a country
  11. net — in sport
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. race — humankind
  14. net — for catching
  15. deal — to handle
  16. wound — an injury
  17. net — after costs
  18. land — ground
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. root — of a word
  21. land — to come down
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bass — low music

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