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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.

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: current · mine · last · snap · fork · firm · root · pop

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. root — the cause
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. pop — music
  7. snap — to click
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pop — soda
  10. mine — for digging
  11. last — finally
  12. root — of a plant
  13. current — electric
  14. fork — in a road
  15. firm — a company
  16. current — of water
  17. pop — to visit
  18. last — to go on
  19. firm — steady
  20. firm — decided
  21. root — of a word
  22. current — happening now
  23. last — final
  24. fork — a garden 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