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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: bark · lean · stick · branch · bowl · wind · fork · squash

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — to shout
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. squash — the sport
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wind — moving air
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. wind — moving air
  22. fork — in a road
  23. squash — to crush
  24. lean — to bend

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