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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 · key · last · fall · branch · coach · date

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. key — for a lock
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. last — to go on
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rock — a stone
  9. key — the most important part
  10. branch — a division
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — in a road
  14. last — final
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. last — finally
  18. key — in music
  19. rock — music
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fall — the season
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. fall — to drop

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