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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · game · cue · nail · season · band · bark · lash

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bark — to shout
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. cue — for pool
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. season — of the year
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. band — a music group
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cue — a signal
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. season — in sport
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. band — a ring
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. cue — a hint

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