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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: branch · row · lash · leaves · fork · wake · pit · fine

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. fork — in a road
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. branch — a division
  13. pit — a hole
  14. row — a line
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wake — a trail
  18. row — to paddle
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. pit — in a race
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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