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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: ground · date · rock · foot · drill · wax · mine · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. rock — a stone
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. drill — a practice
  11. net — in sport
  12. date — the fruit
  13. foot — a measure
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. drill — the tool
  16. mine — for digging
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wax — to grow
  19. drill — army training
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. ground — a position
  23. rock — music
  24. net — for catching

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