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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. root — of a plant
  6. rash — hasty
  7. root — of a word
  8. wound — an injury
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. root — the cause
  12. rule — government
  13. perch — the fish
  14. rash — a series
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rule — a law
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. fork — in a road
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. perch — for a bird

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