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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
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · fork · date · root · cabinet · saw

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. root — of a word
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. date — the fruit
  9. root — the cause
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bass — the fish
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bass — low music
  18. root — of a plant

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