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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. branch — a division
  9. pit — a hole
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. snap — to click
  12. squash — to crush
  13. fork — in a road
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. pit — in a race
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. squash — the sport
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. squash — the vegetable

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