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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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. snap — to click
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. date — the fruit
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. race — a contest
  10. club — for golf
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — humankind
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. club — a group
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bat — the animal
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. club — for dancing
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wave — with your hand

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