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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: fork · rest · pop · saw · staff · branch · wind · press

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. saw — the tool
  3. staff — employees
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pop — to visit
  6. rest — what's left
  7. press — a publisher
  8. branch — a division
  9. rest — a break
  10. staff — a stick
  11. wind — moving air
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — to push
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pop — soda
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. rest — what's left
  21. staff — employees
  22. pop — music
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. saw — the 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