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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: can · chest · spell · wound · mouse · mine · saw · root

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mine — for digging
  6. chest — a box
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. can — a tin
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. root — the cause
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chest — of your body
  16. spell — letters
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. spell — a short time
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. spell — magic
  21. root — of a plant
  22. can — a tin
  23. chest — of your body
  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