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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — in a road
  10. snap — to click
  11. field — a subject
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — for sport
  15. bark — to shout
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bore — to drill
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bore — to tire
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. coach — a trainer

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