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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. root — of a plant
  3. shower — to wash
  4. capital — money
  5. bank — for money
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bank — for money
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bank — of a river
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. root — of a word
  16. clip — a video
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. clip — to cut
  19. shower — rain
  20. capital — a city
  21. root — the cause
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. clip — for paper

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