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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.

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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. field — farmland
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. root — of a plant
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. ball — a dance
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. root — of a word
  13. field — a subject
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. roll — a cake
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. roll — a list
  18. march — the month
  19. root — the cause
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. ball — a great time
  24. field — for sport

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