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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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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: foot · wind · lie · branch · staff · fork · row · rule

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. staff — a stick
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. foot — a measure
  5. staff — employees
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. branch — a division
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wind — moving air
  16. row — a line
  17. staff — employees
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — to paddle
  20. fork — in a road
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. lie — to recline
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. fork — a garden tool

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