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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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Word bank
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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: fork · court · saw · chip · board · pop · branch · chest

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. branch — a division
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chest — a box
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. pop — to visit
  9. board — to get on
  10. court — for sport
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. pop — music
  13. saw — the tool
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. saw — the tool
  16. court — of law
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pop — soda
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. court — of a king
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chest — of your body
  24. board — a committee

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