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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: kid · fork · club · bay · branch · fine · field · bat

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bat — the animal
  3. club — for golf
  4. field — a subject
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. field — for sport
  15. kid — to tease
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fine — high quality
  18. field — farmland
  19. club — a group
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — all right
  24. fork — to eat with

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