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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: jam · straw · object · row · cabinet · march · root · fork

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. object — a thing
  4. march — the month
  5. object — an aim
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. root — of a plant
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. object — to protest
  10. fork — in a road
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. march — the month
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. march — music
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a line
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. root — of a word
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. root — the cause

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