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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cell · track · net · mouse · kid · land · bulb · drill

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. net — after costs
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. kid — to tease
  7. land — to come down
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bulb — for light
  10. land — ground
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cell — a phone
  13. drill — army training
  14. land — a country
  15. net — in sport
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. bulb — for light
  19. drill — the tool
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. track — to keep track
  22. net — for catching
  23. kid — child
  24. cell — in biology

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