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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.

Make a worksheet

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: lean · bowl · date · leaves · bark · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. lean — thin
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bark — to shout
  12. fork — in a road
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. leaves — of a tree

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