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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: branch · pass · fork · rush · root · bore · cold · scale

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bore — to drill
  10. pass — a permit
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — the cause
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. scale — size or range
  18. fork — in a road
  19. root — of a word
  20. bore — to tire
  21. scale — in music
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. branch — of a tree

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