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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: drill · wound · fork · stand · mate · mark · cold · pass

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. cold — an illness
  8. mark — a trace
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. mark — a grade
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — army training
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. stand — to bear
  16. mate — a partner
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. pass — a permit
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. cold — not warm
  21. fork — in a road
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a friend
  24. cold — the Cold War

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