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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · rash · bore · bound · fork · mate · branch · chair

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bore — to tire
  4. branch — a division
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bound — tied together
  8. clip — a video
  9. rash — hasty
  10. mate — a partner
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. mate — a friend
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. clip — to cut
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. bound — obliged
  20. clip — for paper
  21. rash — a series
  22. bound — certain
  23. mate — to breed
  24. fork — in a road

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