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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: fork · roll · spring · rock · ground · coach · plane · bore

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. ground — crushed
  3. plane — a tool
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bore — to tire
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. roll — a list
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bore — to drill
  11. spring — the season
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. ground — a position
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. ground — the earth
  19. rock — a stone
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — in a road
  22. rock — music
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. roll — a cake

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