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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: root · pop · bound · roll · stick · bat · last · fork

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. roll — a cake
  3. pop — music
  4. root — the cause
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. last — final
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bat — the animal
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. pop — to visit
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bound — certain
  15. roll — a list
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. pop — soda
  22. root — of a word
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bound — tied together

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