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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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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: net · fork · root · present · date · safe · tear · bass

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. date — the fruit
  4. tear — from crying
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. present — the time now
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — in sport
  12. tear — to rip
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. root — the cause
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bass — the fish
  19. tear — from crying
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. bass — low music
  22. present — there
  23. present — a gift
  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