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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · wave · bore · fork · fan · track · root · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  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. mate — a friend
  2. track — a song
  3. bore — to drill
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. mate — to breed
  7. track — a path
  8. clip — to cut
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. track — to keep track
  13. clip — for paper
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. root — of a plant
  17. fork — in a road
  18. root — of a word
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. clip — a video
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bore — to tire
  23. mate — a partner
  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