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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: fork · root · pit · last · race · file · coach · spring

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pit — in a race
  6. race — humankind
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. last — finally
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a tool
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spring — of water
  13. race — the arms race
  14. root — of a word
  15. race — a contest
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. last — final
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. last — to go on
  23. root — of a plant
  24. pit — a hole

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