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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: sharp · fork · mark · kid · court · branch · club · bank

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. club — for golf
  6. mark — a grade
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bank — for money
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bank — for money
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. court — of a king
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — child
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. branch — a division
  22. mark — a trace
  23. sharp — clever
  24. club — a group

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