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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: fork · spring · branch · sharp · face · tube · bass · rock

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. face — to confront
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. sharp — clever
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. tube — the underground
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rock — a stone
  14. spring — the season
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bass — low music
  19. branch — a division
  20. fork — in a road
  21. rock — music
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. tube — a container

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