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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — in a road
  4. tear — from crying
  5. branch — a division
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. tear — from crying
  11. current — of water
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rule — government
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. bass — low music
  21. rule — a law
  22. roll — a cake
  23. tear — to rip
  24. branch — of a tree

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