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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.

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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: club · cap · pound · squash · root · land · mouse · net

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. cap — a hat
  3. land — ground
  4. club — a group
  5. cap — a lid
  6. net — in sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. root — the cause
  9. net — after costs
  10. squash — to crush
  11. cap — of ice
  12. land — a country
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. pound — a weight
  16. squash — the sport
  17. root — of a word
  18. land — to come down
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. net — for catching
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. root — of a plant
  24. club — for golf

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