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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. key — in music
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bark — to shout
  6. march — the month
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. march — the month
  11. last — final
  12. key — for a lock
  13. last — finally
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. key — the most important part
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. branch — a division
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. last — to go on
  21. march — music
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — in a tire

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