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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 116 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: saw · lean · pop · kid · fork · branch · hide · wake

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. saw — the tool
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. pop — music
  7. lean — thin
  8. wake — a trail
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. saw — the tool
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pop — soda
  13. branch — a division
  14. fork — in a road
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — to bend
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. kid — child
  23. fork — to eat with
  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