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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 120 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: wave · dip · chair · kick · cell · rock · branch · fork

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. branch — a division
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rock — a stone
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. fork — in a road
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. kick — in football
  14. dip — to sink
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. rock — music
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. cell — a phone
  21. chair — a leader
  22. cell — in biology
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. cell — in a prison

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