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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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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: march · bore · fork · rule · key · bass · stick · stem

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. rule — a law
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bass — the fish
  5. march — music
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. march — the month
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. key — in music
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bass — low music
  12. rule — government
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bore — to drill
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stem — to come from
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. march — the month
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. rule — to rule out

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