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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: lean · fork · craft · net · branch · stick · trunk · hide

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. craft — boats
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. lean — thin
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. net — after costs
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. branch — a division
  15. net — in sport
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. fork — in a road
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. net — for catching
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. craft — a skill

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