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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. branch — a division
  5. fork — in a road
  6. field — farmland
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. field — a subject
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bound — certain
  11. bore — to tire
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. field — for sport
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rash — a series
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bore — to drill

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