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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 · fine · stick · straw · scale · fork · bore · march

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. scale — in music
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. bore — to tire
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. branch — a division
  14. fork — in a road
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. march — the month
  18. scale — size or range
  19. fine — high quality
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. fine — all right
  24. fork — a garden tool

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