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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: fork · root · roll · straw · cold · mouse · current · clip

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. root — of a plant
  3. cold — an illness
  4. roll — a cake
  5. root — the cause
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — not warm
  8. clip — a video
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. clip — to cut
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. root — of a word
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. clip — for paper
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. roll — a list
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — of water
  23. current — electric
  24. mouse — the animal

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