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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: fall · mate · branch · field · drill · fork · stand · stick

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  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. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — a division
  3. drill — a practice
  4. fall — to drop
  5. field — a subject
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. mate — a friend
  10. fork — in a road
  11. field — for sport
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. stand — to bear
  16. mate — a partner
  17. field — farmland
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. mate — to breed
  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