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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
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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: row · march · season · fan · bark · court · jam · fork

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. march — the month
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. season — of the year
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. row — a line
  13. court — of a king
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. bark — to shout
  16. march — the month
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. season — in sport
  20. march — music
  21. court — of law
  22. court — for sport
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fork — a garden tool

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