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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: drill · bore · firm · toast · fork · saw · field · branch

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. bore — gave birth
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. drill — army training
  5. fork — in a road
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — steady
  8. bore — to tire
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. field — for sport
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. bore — to drill
  15. drill — the tool
  16. field — farmland
  17. branch — a division
  18. firm — decided
  19. field — a subject
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. toast — bread
  23. saw — the tool
  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