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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: branch · fork · sharp · track · trunk · season · pound · degree

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. fork — in a road
  7. track — a path
  8. season — of the year
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. degree — temperature
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. degree — from a university
  20. branch — a division
  21. degree — an amount
  22. season — in sport
  23. pound — a weight
  24. sharp — clever

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