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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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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: cell · spell · hand · fork · pop · rush · lean · branch

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. cell — in biology
  3. spell — letters
  4. cell — a phone
  5. hand — help
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. rush — hurry
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. lean — to bend
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — in a road
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. pop — soda
  16. branch — a division
  17. spell — magic
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. lean — thin
  22. spell — a short time
  23. hand — in cards
  24. branch — 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