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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: rock · fork · band · suit · tear · branch · key · chip

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. chip — to eat
  3. suit — in cards
  4. key — in music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fork — in a road
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. tear — to rip
  12. suit — to fit
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. band — a music group
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. suit — clothes
  18. chip — for betting
  19. band — a ring
  20. key — the most important part
  21. rock — a stone
  22. branch — a division
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rock — music

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