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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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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: bat · fork · root · net · wake · bay · snap · present

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. root — the cause
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. present — there
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. net — for catching
  13. fork — in a road
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. present — the time now
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. net — after costs
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. present — a gift
  23. root — of a word
  24. snap — to click

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