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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: chest · roll · branch · sharp · bark · fork · bore · fine

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. fine — high quality
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. sharp — clever
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — a cake
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. fork — in a road
  14. branch — a division
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bore — to tire
  19. chest — a box
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. fine — all right
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. branch — of a tree

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