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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
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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: mine · last · root · fork · stock · date · wake · can

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. stock — goods
  4. root — of a plant
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. last — to go on
  8. root — the cause
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. last — finally
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. can — a tin
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wake — a trail
  19. date — the fruit
  20. can — to be able to
  21. last — final
  22. can — a tin
  23. stock — shares
  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