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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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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: fork · object · hand · toast · root · suit · club · tear

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. hand — help
  3. toast — bread
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. tear — from crying
  7. object — to protest
  8. root — the cause
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. root — of a word
  12. club — a group
  13. suit — to fit
  14. object — an aim
  15. object — a thing
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. club — for golf
  18. hand — in cards
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. root — of a plant
  21. club — for dancing
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. fork — in a road
  24. suit — in cards

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