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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: branch · stick · rash · fork · key · bowl · wake · band

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. band — a ring
  3. key — for a lock
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. rash — a series
  9. key — in music
  10. fork — in a road
  11. branch — a division
  12. key — the most important part
  13. rash — hasty
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. wake — a trail
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. band — a music group
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bowl — a football final

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