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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 120 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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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: tear · fork · present · row · dip · chip · branch · fall

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. present — a gift
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fall — the season
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. row — to paddle
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. chip — to eat
  9. dip — to sink
  10. fall — to drop
  11. tear — from crying
  12. present — there
  13. chip — for betting
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. fall — to drop
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. branch — a division
  23. present — the time now
  24. fork — in a road

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