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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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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: race · bear · pound · safe · fork · court · branch · drill

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. court — for sport
  5. branch — a division
  6. race — a contest
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bear — the animal
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. fork — in a road
  15. race — the arms race
  16. court — of law
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. drill — army training
  19. race — humankind
  20. court — of a king
  21. bear — the animal
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pound — to hit hard

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