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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 116 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. branch — a division
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. present — the time now
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. drill — army training
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. current — electric
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. spring — the season
  15. present — there
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. spring — of water
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. current — of water
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. current — happening now
  22. drill — the tool
  23. spring — a coil
  24. drill — a practice

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