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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: ground · root · game · tear · current · wax · board · fork

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. ground — crushed
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. tear — from crying
  5. current — happening now
  6. fork — in a road
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. tear — to rip
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. root — the cause
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. tear — from crying
  13. ground — a position
  14. game — a match
  15. board — to get on
  16. game — wild animals
  17. current — electric
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. ground — the earth
  21. root — of a plant
  22. board — a committee
  23. wax — to grow
  24. current — of water

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