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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: spell · pit · present · cold · branch · bass · fork · cap

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. present — a gift
  3. bass — low music
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cap — a hat
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. present — there
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. cap — of ice
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pit — in a race
  13. cap — a lid
  14. present — the time now
  15. spell — a short time
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. branch — a division
  18. spell — letters
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. pit — a hole
  24. spell — magic

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