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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: saw · bowl · staff · fork · branch · pitcher · track · cold

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. staff — a stick
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. fork — in a road
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. track — a path
  14. cold — an illness
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. branch — a division
  21. track — a song
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. cold — not warm

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