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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 120 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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. root — of a plant
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. ground — a position
  7. stem — to come from
  8. shower — to wash
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. root — of a word
  14. field — for sport
  15. rush — hurry
  16. ground — crushed
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. field — farmland
  19. fork — in a road
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — rain
  22. root — the cause
  23. ground — the earth
  24. field — a subject

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