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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: branch · kick · field · ruler · stand · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. field — farmland
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. branch — a division
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. fork — in a road
  10. stand — to bear
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. stand — for spectators

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