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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · land · sharp · root · file · fan · rock · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. file — a line of people
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. land — a country
  7. rock — music
  8. root — of a word
  9. sharp — clever
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. rock — a stone
  12. stem — to come from
  13. file — a document
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — ground
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — the cause
  23. fork — in a road
  24. file — a 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