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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — in a road
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. branch — a division
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. ground — the earth
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bat — the animal
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. ground — a position
  15. wind — moving air
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. wind — moving air
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. court — of a king
  24. branch — of a bank

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