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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — in a road
  3. last — finally
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. staff — employees
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mug — a cup
  9. last — to go on
  10. mug — to rob
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. branch — a division
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. staff — employees
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. pass — a permit
  19. last — final
  20. scale — in music
  21. mug — a face
  22. staff — a stick
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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