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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: stick · trunk · fork · march · wind · wave

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. fork — in a road
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. march — music
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wind — moving air
  15. march — the month
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. march — the month
  18. trunk — of a car

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