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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 · hide · root · band · ground · field · march · mouse

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. field — farmland
  3. net — in sport
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. root — of a word
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. field — for sport
  9. root — the cause
  10. net — for catching
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. root — of a plant
  14. march — the month
  15. field — a subject
  16. march — the month
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a music group
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. march — music
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — a position
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. net — after costs

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