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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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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: root · fork · lie · rule · rock · land · band · pitcher

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. land — ground
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. root — of a word
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. root — of a plant
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — in a road
  9. lie — to recline
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. band — a music group
  14. rule — a law
  15. band — a ring
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. land — to come down
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. root — the cause
  20. land — a country
  21. rule — government
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rule — to rule out

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