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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: rest · content · bear · fork · temple · rash · foot · branch

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. rest — a break
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rash — hasty
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. foot — a measure
  14. rest — what's left
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. rash — a series
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. content — happy
  21. bear — the animal
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. rest — what's left

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