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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 116 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: cue · trunk · fork · squash · root · season · ground · staff

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. staff — employees
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. squash — to crush
  5. staff — a stick
  6. squash — the sport
  7. ground — crushed
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cue — a signal
  10. season — in sport
  11. fork — in a road
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — for pool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. ground — a position
  16. staff — employees
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — of the year
  23. root — the cause
  24. ground — the earth

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