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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: bank · clip · stand · temple · branch · fork · field · rash

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. rash — a series
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bank — for money
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. rash — hasty
  13. field — farmland
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. field — a subject
  16. clip — for paper
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — to cut
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. fork — a garden tool
  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