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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: land · trunk · lie · mouse · mine · fan · bore · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. lie — to recline
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. land — ground
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fork — in a road
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. land — to come down
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bore — to tire
  22. mine — for digging
  23. land — a country
  24. bore — to drill

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