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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 116 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: fall · sharp · pass · branch · fork · saw · spell · hand

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. fall — the season
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. fork — in a road
  7. pass — a permit
  8. spell — magic
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spell — a short time
  14. branch — a division
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. hand — in cards
  20. fall — to drop
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. sharp — clever
  23. hand — help
  24. spell — letters

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