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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 116 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: coach · spring · last · bore · fork · wax · racket · bark

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. last — finally
  4. fork — in a road
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wax — to grow
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. bore — to tire
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. last — final
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. last — to go on
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — the season
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. racket — a loud noise

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