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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: toast · file · degree · spring · jam · branch · coach · fork

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. spring — the season
  3. degree — an amount
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. spring — a coil
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. degree — temperature
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. spring — of water
  14. file — a document
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. degree — from a university
  20. file — a line of people
  21. fork — in a road
  22. file — a tool
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. toast — bread

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