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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: fork · bore · rest · mate · wake · branch · bulb · plane

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. rest — a break
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bulb — for light
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. rest — what's left
  17. branch — a division
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bore — to drill
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wake — a trail
  24. plane — in geometry

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