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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: pop · lean · dip · rule · fall · plane · fork · branch

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. plane — a tool
  3. dip — to sink
  4. rule — a law
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fork — in a road
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pop — to visit
  16. rule — government
  17. pop — soda
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. branch — a division
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. fall — the season
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pop — 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