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

Word bank: tear · field · march · fork · cue · kick

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. fork — in a road
  3. march — the month
  4. tear — to rip
  5. march — music
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cue — for pool
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. march — the month
  12. cue — a signal
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. field — farmland
  16. cue — a hint
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. kick — in football

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