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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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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: suit · squash · bound · branch · fork · staff · land · race

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. race — the arms race
  4. squash — to crush
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. suit — in cards
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. suit — to fit
  11. staff — employees
  12. fork — in a road
  13. suit — clothes
  14. staff — employees
  15. land — ground
  16. land — a country
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bound — obliged
  19. staff — a stick
  20. race — a contest
  21. bound — certain
  22. land — to come down
  23. race — humankind
  24. squash — the vegetable

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