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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 · cue · hand · root · wound · bowl · kick · cell

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a signal
  11. fork — in a road
  12. hand — help
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. hand — in cards
  16. root — of a plant
  17. cue — a hint
  18. kick — in football
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. root — of a word
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. cell — a phone

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