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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: hand · bear · fork · foot · branch · race · last · drill

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. race — humankind
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — army training
  5. last — final
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — help
  9. foot — a measure
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. fork — in a road
  16. drill — the tool
  17. last — finally
  18. last — to go on
  19. race — a contest
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. branch — a division
  24. hand — part of the body

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