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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: season · dip · fork · land · root · kick · nail · lie

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. land — a country
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. land — to come down
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. land — ground
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. root — the cause
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. root — of a plant
  20. kick — in football
  21. lie — to recline
  22. root — of a word
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. season — to add flavour

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