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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: land · branch · date · trunk · bowl · coach · fork · bore

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bore — to drill
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. land — ground
  11. bore — to tire
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. fork — in a road
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. date — the fruit
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. trunk — of a car

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