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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 chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. branch — a division
  7. fork — in a road
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. drill — army training
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. chair — a leader
  15. content — the amount
  16. wound — an injury
  17. drill — the tool
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. cell — a phone
  21. content — happy
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. cell — in biology

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