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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. branch — a division
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pop — soda
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. pop — music
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. pop — to visit
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. squash — the sport
  18. saw — the tool
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wake — a trail
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. fork — in a road

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