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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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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: land · calf · squash · rule · wake · march · fork · dip

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. dip — to sink
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. land — ground
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. march — the month
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. rule — government
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. land — a country
  16. wake — a trail
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. rule — a law
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. squash — to crush
  22. land — to come down
  23. fork — in a road
  24. squash — the sport

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