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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 · sharp · shower · spring · fork · fine · jam · saw

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — in a road
  3. shower — to wash
  4. fine — high quality
  5. spring — a coil
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. spring — the season
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. sharp — clever
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. spring — of water
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. saw — the tool
  22. branch — a division
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. shower — rain

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