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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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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: wound · mine · firm · branch · suit · fork · kid · straw

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. wound — an injury
  3. suit — to fit
  4. kid — to tease
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. fork — in a road
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. suit — in cards
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. wound — an injury
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. suit — clothes
  15. firm — decided
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. firm — a company
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. firm — steady
  23. kid — child
  24. branch — a division

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