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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 120 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 · rash · pop · spell · mine · squash · wake · branch

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — in a road
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. rash — hasty
  10. spell — magic
  11. squash — the sport
  12. spell — a short time
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. spell — letters
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pop — music
  19. rash — a series
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. branch — a division
  22. pop — soda
  23. wake — a trail
  24. pop — to visit

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