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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 120 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: can · rest · march · pitcher · stick · fork · pound · wake

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. can — a tin
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. march — the month
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. wake — a trail
  13. can — a tin
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. pound — a weight
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. fork — in a road
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. rest — a break
  20. march — the month
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. rest — what's left
  23. march — music
  24. can — to be able to

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