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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: perch · root · mouse · mine · game · stock · saw · land

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stock — shares
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. land — ground
  7. stock — goods
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. land — to come down
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. land — a country
  12. game — wild animals
  13. root — of a plant
  14. game — a match
  15. perch — the fish
  16. saw — the tool
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. root — the cause
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. root — of a word

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