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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: bat · nail · fork · root · face · race · shower · lean

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  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. fork — in a road
  2. root — of a word
  3. race — humankind
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. lean — to bend
  7. shower — to wash
  8. race — a contest
  9. root — of a plant
  10. shower — rain
  11. face — part of the head
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. race — the arms race
  17. face — to point toward
  18. root — the cause
  19. lean — thin
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. face — to confront
  23. bat — the animal
  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