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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
468
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 · bore · branch · mine · bark · wake · ball · swing

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. swing — in golf
  5. bore — to tire
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. swing — to play on
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. ball — a dance
  13. branch — a division
  14. bore — to drill
  15. swing — music
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. wake — a trail
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. branch — of a bank

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