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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: tube · board · march · ruler · lash · jam · fork · cap

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. tube — the underground
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. fork — in a road
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. cap — of ice
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. march — the month
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. board — to get on
  14. march — the month
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. tube — a container
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. board — a committee
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — a lid

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