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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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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: wave · root · bat · vault · mate · field · content · fork

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. root — of a plant
  3. root — of a word
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — to breed
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bat — the animal
  11. field — for sport
  12. content — the amount
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. mate — a friend
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. content — happy
  19. field — farmland
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. field — a subject
  22. fork — in a road
  23. root — the cause
  24. bat — for baseball

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