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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: fork · fall · racket · key · object · spring · root · mine

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. key — for a lock
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. spring — the season
  5. object — to protest
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. root — of a plant
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. spring — a coil
  12. object — a thing
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. key — in music
  19. spring — of water
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. root — the cause
  22. key — the most important part
  23. root — of a word
  24. fall — to drop

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