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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. drill — army training
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. wake — a trail
  11. fork — in a road
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. drill — a practice
  16. hand — help
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. drill — the tool
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. hand — in cards
  23. branch — a division
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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