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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 116 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: last · fan · root · fork · season · calf · race · stick

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. last — finally
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. race — the arms race
  7. fork — in a road
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. race — a contest
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — in sport
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. race — humankind
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. last — to go on
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. last — final
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — the cause
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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