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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. fork — in a road
  3. ground — a position
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — the amount
  6. race — humankind
  7. root — of a plant
  8. present — there
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. race — a contest
  13. ground — the earth
  14. plane — a tool
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. root — of a word
  17. content — happy
  18. ground — crushed
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. race — the arms race
  23. present — a gift
  24. root — the cause

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