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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 · fork · straw · bowl · racket · mine · land · lean

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. net — for catching
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. net — in sport
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. net — after costs
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. mine — for digging
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. land — ground
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. land — to come down
  20. lean — thin
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. lean — to bend
  23. land — a country
  24. straw — a straw man

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