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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 120 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: last · saw · can · sharp · present · root · temple · fork

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. root — the cause
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. last — finally
  7. present — a gift
  8. last — final
  9. saw — the tool
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. fork — in a road
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. saw — the tool
  14. present — there
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. root — of a word
  17. last — to go on
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. root — of a plant
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. can — a tin
  24. sharp — clever

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