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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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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: racket · branch · ground · cue · kick · fork · band · face

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — part of the head
  5. ground — a position
  6. cue — a signal
  7. branch — a division
  8. cue — a hint
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. band — a ring
  11. ground — crushed
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. kick — in football
  14. face — to point toward
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. fork — in a road
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. ground — the earth
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. cue — for pool
  24. racket — a loud noise

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