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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. dip — to sink
  3. chip — for betting
  4. row — a line
  5. season — in sport
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. branch — a division
  11. land — to come down
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. field — for sport
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. land — a country
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. chip — to eat
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. land — ground
  24. fork — to eat with

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