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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: chip · branch · wind · field · rock · fall · trunk · fork

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. chip — for betting
  5. rock — a stone
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rock — music
  8. branch — a division
  9. fork — in a road
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. wind — moving air
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. fall — to drop
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. field — for sport
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. wind — moving air
  19. field — farmland
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. fall — the season
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. chip — to eat

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