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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. current — happening now
  6. last — final
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. branch — a division
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. last — finally
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. current — electric
  15. last — to go on
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. fork — in a road
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pitch — completely
  22. current — of water
  23. lean — to bend
  24. fork — a garden tool

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