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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 · fork · saw · calf · foot · coach · cell · face

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. face — to confront
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. cell — a phone
  8. branch — a division
  9. fork — in a road
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. foot — a measure
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — in biology
  18. face — to point toward
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. face — part of the head
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. saw — the tool

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