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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: net · fork · branch · chair · lean · craft · season · kid

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. craft — a skill
  4. lean — thin
  5. kid — to tease
  6. net — for catching
  7. season — in sport
  8. kid — child
  9. net — after costs
  10. chair — a leader
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. branch — a division
  13. craft — boats
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. net — in sport
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. lean — to bend
  21. fork — in a road
  22. season — of the year
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. chair — to sit on

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