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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. branch — a division
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — size or range
  5. fork — in a road
  6. pitch — completely
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. tear — from crying
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. ground — a position
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. scale — in music
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. tear — to rip
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. ground — the earth

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