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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 116 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: fork · mark · tube · snap · firm · wake · bat · march

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. march — the month
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. firm — decided
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — a trail
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. mark — a grade
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. tube — the underground
  14. march — the month
  15. fork — in a road
  16. march — music
  17. firm — steady
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bat — the animal
  21. tube — a container
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. firm — a company
  24. snap — to click

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