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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: fork · fall · branch · cell · lie · mark · row · deal

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. branch — a division
  3. fork — in a road
  4. mark — a grade
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cell — in biology
  9. deal — to handle
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cell — a phone
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. row — to paddle
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. lie — to recline
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. row — a line
  22. mark — a trace
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. fall — the season

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