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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: club · root · wind · stem · bear · pop · fork · track

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. fork — in a road
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — a group
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bear — the animal
  10. club — for dancing
  11. track — a path
  12. pop — to visit
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. root — the cause
  20. pop — music
  21. stem — to come from
  22. pop — soda
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. root — of a word

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