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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. date — the fruit
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — a hat
  5. drill — the tool
  6. snap — to click
  7. drill — a practice
  8. cap — of ice
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. press — to push
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. press — newspapers
  14. fork — in a road
  15. root — the cause
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. drill — army training
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. root — of a plant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. press — a publisher
  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