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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: stand · root · ground · band · fork · tube · perch · net

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. stand — to bear
  3. root — of a word
  4. net — for catching
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. ground — a position
  8. fork — in a road
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. tube — the underground
  11. ground — the earth
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. band — a music group
  14. perch — the fish
  15. tube — a container
  16. root — the cause
  17. net — in sport
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. ground — crushed
  20. root — of a plant
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. net — after costs

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