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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: wave · bowl · foot · kid · tube · game · branch · fork

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. fork — in a road
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. tube — the underground
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. branch — a division
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — child
  22. tube — a container
  23. game — wild animals
  24. foot — the bottom

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