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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: rule · branch · ball · bark · bore · coach · pop · mate

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. pop — soda
  3. bore — to tire
  4. mate — to breed
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. rule — a law
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. branch — a division
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pop — music
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bore — to drill
  14. mate — a partner
  15. pop — to visit
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rule — government
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — to shout
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mate — a friend
  24. coach — a trainer

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