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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 · march · foot · firm · wave · wind

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. firm — a company
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. march — the month
  7. foot — a measure
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. firm — decided
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fork — in a road
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. firm — steady
  18. fork — a garden tool

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