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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: wake · ground · net · fork · root · cell · firm · ruler

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. net — in sport
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ground — crushed
  6. root — of a word
  7. net — for catching
  8. cell — a phone
  9. root — the cause
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. net — after costs
  12. ground — the earth
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. firm — steady
  15. firm — a company
  16. cell — in biology
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. fork — in a road
  19. firm — decided
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. ground — a position
  23. root — of a plant
  24. fork — a garden tool

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