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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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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: calf · fan · saw · bowl · fork · branch · current · drill

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. branch — a division
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. current — of water
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. current — electric
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. drill — a practice
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. saw — the tool
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. fork — in a road
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. current — happening now

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