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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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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: club · march · charge · fork · object · leaves · wind · rock

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. object — to protest
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rock — music
  8. club — for dancing
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. club — a group
  11. charge — a price
  12. wind — moving air
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. object — an aim
  15. rock — a stone
  16. fork — in a road
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. charge — in control
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. wind — moving air
  22. object — a thing
  23. march — the month
  24. charge — electricity

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