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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 116 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: wind · can · saw · stem · root · fork · wound · craft

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. can — a tin
  3. root — of a word
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wind — moving air
  6. root — of a plant
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. craft — a skill
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. can — to be able to
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. can — a tin
  19. fork — in a road
  20. root — the cause
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. fork — to eat with

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