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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
468
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: stock · march · wake · trunk · plane · fork · mine · pitch

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. wake — a trail
  4. march — the month
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. stock — shares
  10. plane — a tool
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. march — music
  13. pitch — completely
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fork — in a road
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. march — the month
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. stock — goods
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. wake — before a funeral

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