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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.

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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: roll · shower · fork · key · stem · land · club · wake

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. key — the most important part
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. key — in music
  10. club — for golf
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. stem — to come from
  13. shower — to wash
  14. club — a group
  15. roll — a cake
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. fork — in a road
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. land — ground
  20. club — for dancing
  21. shower — rain
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — a trail
  24. key — for a lock

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