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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: field · bore · safe · kid · branch · mark · row · coach

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. row — a line
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bore — to tire
  12. branch — a division
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. field — farmland
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. field — a subject
  18. kid — to tease
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bore — to drill
  21. kid — child
  22. row — to paddle
  23. field — for sport
  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