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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. season — in sport
  6. staff — a stick
  7. branch — a division
  8. bulb — for light
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. fork — in a road
  11. season — of the year
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bulb — for light
  16. sharp — clever
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. staff — employees
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. staff — employees
  24. branch — of a tree

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