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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: fork · wind · branch · roll · toast · sharp · prune · wave

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. fork — in a road
  5. sharp — clever
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wind — moving air
  11. roll — a cake
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. branch — a division
  15. prune — to trim
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. prune — to trim
  21. roll — a list
  22. toast — bread
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. prune — the fruit

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