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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: spell · last · hand · charge · rush · bark · fork · branch

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — in a road
  4. branch — a division
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. hand — in cards
  8. spell — letters
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. charge — in control
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. last — finally
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. spell — a short time
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. hand — help
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. spell — magic
  21. rush — hurry
  22. bark — to shout
  23. charge — electricity
  24. bark — 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