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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: face · fork · fall · bark · cap · branch · mate · wound

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mate — a friend
  6. face — part of the head
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mate — to breed
  13. face — to point toward
  14. fork — in a road
  15. face — to confront
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. wound — an injury
  18. branch — a division
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. cap — a hat

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