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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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Word bank
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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: jam · spring · branch · land · bark · bass · fork · date

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. spring — a coil
  3. land — a country
  4. bass — the fish
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. spring — the season
  11. fork — in a road
  12. bass — low music
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. spring — of water
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. branch — a division
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. bark — of a tree

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