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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: land · wake · pound · race · fork · ground · bank · root

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. bank — of a river
  2. fork — in a road
  3. root — of a word
  4. bank — for money
  5. pound — a weight
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. ground — the earth
  8. land — a country
  9. race — humankind
  10. root — the cause
  11. race — a contest
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. land — to come down
  14. race — the arms race
  15. wake — a trail
  16. land — ground
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bank — for money
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. root — of a plant
  23. ground — a position
  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