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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: date · fork · content · ball · branch · lie · hand · straw

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. fork — in a road
  3. hand — help
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. ball — a great time
  6. content — happy
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. hand — in cards
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. branch — a division
  11. lie — to recline
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. ball — a dance
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. content — the amount
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. date — the fruit
  24. fork — a garden tool

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