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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: drill · bore · cabinet · branch · bark · pound · fork · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. drill — the tool
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. net — in sport
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. drill — army training
  10. bore — to tire
  11. drill — a practice
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. net — after costs
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bore — to drill
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. branch — a division
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bore — gave birth

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