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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: pound · fork · row · lean · pitcher · mate · branch · court

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. row — a line
  3. pound — a weight
  4. court — of law
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. lean — thin
  8. court — for sport
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. fork — in a road
  13. lean — to bend
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. mate — to breed
  21. row — to paddle
  22. court — of a king
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mate — a partner

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