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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: tube · bark · branch · chest · fork · mine · mouse · land

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. chest — a box
  5. mine — for digging
  6. branch — a division
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. fork — in a road
  9. chest — of your body
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. chest — of your body
  12. land — to come down
  13. tube — a container
  14. land — a country
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bark — to shout
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. land — ground
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. tube — the underground

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