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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: kid · game · fork · date · wax · board · branch · lie

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. kid — child
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. lie — to recline
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. board — a committee
  14. branch — a division
  15. game — a match
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. kid — to tease
  18. game — wild animals
  19. board — to get on
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. fork — a garden tool

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