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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: board · branch · chest · spell · fork · racket · straw · snap

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. fork — in a road
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. spell — magic
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. board — to get on
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. snap — to click
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. board — a committee
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. chest — of your body
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. spell — letters
  24. racket — for tennis

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