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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 120 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: march · wave · ground · stem · racket · fork · key · staff

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. staff — employees
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. march — music
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. key — in music
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. ground — a position
  10. key — for a lock
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. staff — employees
  13. ground — crushed
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. staff — a stick
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. key — the most important part
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. fork — in a road

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