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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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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 · cue · fork · bark · rule · wave · ground · row

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. cue — a hint
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. rule — government
  7. ground — crushed
  8. row — a line
  9. bark — to shout
  10. ground — the earth
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. fork — in a road
  14. cue — for pool
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. cue — a signal
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. branch — a division
  21. ground — a position
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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