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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. chest — of your body
  7. root — of a word
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. chest — of your body
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rock — music
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. chest — a box
  17. root — the cause
  18. fork — in a road
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. root — of a plant
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — to move gently

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