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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. prune — to trim
  5. content — happy
  6. fork — in a road
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. game — a match
  9. file — a document
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. content — the amount
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bore — to drill
  18. file — a tool
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bore — to tire
  22. prune — to trim
  23. file — a line of people
  24. fork — to eat with

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