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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 · spell · nail · wind · wake · foot · branch · tube

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. tube — the underground
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. spell — a short time
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wake — a trail
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. foot — a measure
  17. fork — in a road
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. tube — a container

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