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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: temple · root · bass · fork · rest · content · hand · nail

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fork — in a road
  5. content — the amount
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. root — of a word
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rest — a break
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bass — low music
  19. content — happy
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. root — the cause
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bass — the fish
  24. root — of a plant

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