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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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. tear — from crying
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — the cause
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. fork — in a road
  12. tear — from crying
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. rest — what's left
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. chair — a leader
  18. tear — to rip
  19. lean — thin
  20. root — of a word
  21. lean — to bend
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rest — a break
  24. fork — a garden tool

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