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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. root — the cause
  4. prune — to trim
  5. deal — to handle
  6. stem — to come from
  7. last — finally
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. last — final
  13. root — of a plant
  14. fork — in a road
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a friend
  22. root — of a word
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. mate — a partner

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