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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: season · branch · board · dip · cell · bay · fork · band

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. dip — to sink
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. cell — a phone
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — to get on
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. season — of the year
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. board — a committee
  18. season — in sport
  19. band — a ring
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. cell — in biology
  22. band — a music group
  23. fork — in a road
  24. season — to add flavour

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