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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. cap — a lid
  3. hand — help
  4. branch — a division
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. rush — hurry
  7. cap — of ice
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. shower — to wash
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — a tool
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. cap — a hat
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. shower — rain
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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