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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. land — a country
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pop — music
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. rule — government
  9. rush — hurry
  10. dip — to sink
  11. land — ground
  12. land — to come down
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — a law
  15. pop — soda
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. branch — a division
  19. bear — the animal
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. fork — in a road
  24. pop — to visit

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