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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: bound · saw · press · key · fork · branch · fall · kid

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bound — tied together
  3. kid — to tease
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. press — newspapers
  6. key — the most important part
  7. saw — the tool
  8. kid — child
  9. press — to push
  10. fall — to drop
  11. key — in music
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bound — obliged
  17. key — for a lock
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bound — certain
  20. saw — the tool
  21. press — a publisher
  22. fall — the season
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. fork — in a road

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