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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: rash · spell · march · bear · bore · fork · rest · wound

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. spell — letters
  5. march — the month
  6. wound — an injury
  7. spell — magic
  8. rest — a break
  9. bore — to tire
  10. spell — a short time
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fork — in a road
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. rash — hasty
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. rash — a series
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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