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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: craft · roll · fork · cap · branch · wake · dip · march

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cap — of ice
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. dip — to sink
  6. fork — in a road
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. craft — a skill
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. cap — a lid
  11. march — music
  12. roll — a cake
  13. march — the month
  14. cap — a hat
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. craft — boats
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. wake — a trail
  21. march — the month
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. roll — a list

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