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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: band · root · bulb · pitcher · rule · bay · fork · land

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. root — of a word
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. band — a music group
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. land — to come down
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. land — a country
  11. rule — a law
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. root — of a plant
  15. land — ground
  16. rule — government
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. band — a ring
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. root — the cause
  24. fork — in a road

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