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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: lie · bark · drill · fork · hand · march · season · ball

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. fork — in a road
  4. drill — the tool
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. march — the month
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. march — the month
  10. ball — a dance
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. march — music
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. drill — army training
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bark — to shout
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. ball — a great time
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. season — in sport
  24. hand — in cards

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