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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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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. staff — employees
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. fork — in a road
  6. staff — a stick
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rush — hurry
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. staff — employees
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. wake — a trail
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. capital — money
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. branch — a division

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