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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 120 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: hand · current · root · bore · wind · cap · cell · fork

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cap — a lid
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. current — happening now
  7. root — of a word
  8. cell — a phone
  9. current — of water
  10. root — the cause
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bore — to drill
  14. current — electric
  15. cap — a hat
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fork — in a road
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bore — to tire

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