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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 120 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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. stem — to come from
  3. swing — music
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. fork — in a road
  6. swing — to play on
  7. band — a ring
  8. ground — the earth
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. swing — in golf
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. band — a music group
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. charge — electricity
  15. pitch — completely
  16. charge — in control
  17. ground — crushed
  18. branch — a division
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. charge — a price
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. ground — a position

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