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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 116 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: cap · wave · fork · track · branch · craft · band · row

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. band — a music group
  4. track — a path
  5. craft — a skill
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. cap — a lid
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a line
  14. track — to keep track
  15. band — a ring
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. fork — in a road
  18. craft — boats
  19. branch — a division
  20. cap — a hat
  21. track — a song
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. cap — of ice

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