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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: fork · bulb · charge · season · last · plane · land · root

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — the cause
  5. land — a country
  6. fork — in a road
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. land — ground
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — a price
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. charge — in control
  15. land — to come down
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. last — finally
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. season — in sport
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. season — of the year
  24. bulb — of a plant

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