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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: face · can · fork · march · straw · bound · craft · branch

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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. face — part of the head
  3. face — to confront
  4. craft — boats
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bound — certain
  7. march — the month
  8. fork — in a road
  9. march — music
  10. face — to point toward
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. can — to be able to
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. can — a tin
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. craft — a skill
  20. bound — obliged
  21. can — a tin
  22. bound — tied together
  23. march — the month
  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