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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: fan · bank · cold · branch · root · fork · jam · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bank — for money
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. cold — an illness
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. cold — not warm
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — of a plant
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fork — in a road
  21. branch — a division
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. root — the cause

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