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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. spring — the season
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pop — to visit
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. spring — a coil
  9. fork — in a road
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. pop — soda
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — army training
  14. band — a music group
  15. craft — a skill
  16. spring — of water
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. drill — a practice
  21. band — a ring
  22. craft — boats
  23. pop — music
  24. craft — a handicraft

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