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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.

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: club · fork · dip · saw · pitcher · lie · file · branch

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. club — a group
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. lie — to recline
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. file — a tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. file — a document
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. club — for golf
  20. club — for dancing
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. dip — to sink
  24. branch — a division

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