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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 need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bank — for money
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — obliged
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bank — of a river
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. row — a line
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bound — certain
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bank — for money
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. squash — the sport
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. branch — a division
  23. fork — in a road
  24. row — to paddle

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