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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · land · lash · game · toast · fork · clip · cap

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. toast — bread
  4. game — a match
  5. cap — a lid
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cap — a hat
  8. clip — a video
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. clip — for paper
  12. cap — of ice
  13. branch — a division
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. land — ground
  17. clip — to cut
  18. game — wild animals
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. land — to come down
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. land — a country
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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