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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: fork · land · cue · pound · cell · branch · rock · wave

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. rock — a stone
  3. land — to come down
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cue — a signal
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. land — ground
  16. cue — for pool
  17. land — a country
  18. rock — music
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. fork — in a road
  21. pound — a weight
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. wave — of the sea
  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