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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: fork · branch · track · stick · patient · chip · file · kid

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. track — a song
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. branch — a division
  7. file — a line of people
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. kid — to tease
  12. chip — for betting
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. chip — to eat
  18. track — to keep track
  19. fork — in a road
  20. kid — child
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. track — a path
  24. file — a tool

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