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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: spell · band · fork · file · pit · root · snap · staff

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  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. staff — employees
  3. band — a music group
  4. file — a document
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. pit — a hole
  8. spell — magic
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. spell — a short time
  12. file — a line of people
  13. fork — in a road
  14. root — of a plant
  15. band — a ring
  16. root — of a word
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. snap — to click
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. spell — letters
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. root — the cause
  23. pit — in a race
  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