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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: fork · track · club · branch · lie · last · safe · tear

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. tear — from crying
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. club — for golf
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. track — a song
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. last — finally
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. track — a path
  13. last — to go on
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. last — final
  16. branch — a division
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fork — in a road
  19. track — to keep track
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for dancing
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. tear — to rip

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