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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: branch · fork · chair · mate · cell · row · tube · leaves

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. branch — a division
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cell — in biology
  8. fork — in a road
  9. cell — a phone
  10. row — a line
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — a leader
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. tube — a container
  16. mate — to breed
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. row — to paddle
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. tube — the underground
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — a partner
  24. leaves — 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