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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: charge · stick · rest · fork · bark · wax · branch · degree

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. fork — in a road
  6. branch — a division
  7. charge — a price
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wax — to grow
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. charge — electricity
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. degree — an amount
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. charge — in control
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — from a university

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