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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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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: dip · trunk · kick · fork · perch · band · mate · branch

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  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 — to eat with
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. mate — a friend
  5. kick — in football
  6. mate — a partner
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. dip — to sink
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. perch — the fish
  21. band — a ring
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mate — to breed
  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