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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 120 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: fine · coach · leaves · fork · safe · bore · hand · plane

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. hand — help
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. hand — in cards
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. fine — all right
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. plane — a tool
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bore — to tire
  18. fine — high quality
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bore — to drill
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — to eat with

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