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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: stem · file · cue · present · wake · land · rock · fork

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. present — the time now
  7. wake — a trail
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. file — a tool
  12. stem — to come from
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. fork — in a road
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. rock — a stone
  18. land — ground
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. present — a gift
  21. cue — for pool
  22. present — there
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. fork — a garden tool

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