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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: last · march · craft · fan · season · fork · board · hand

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. march — the month
  5. board — to get on
  6. craft — boats
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. last — finally
  9. march — the month
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. march — music
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. board — a committee
  17. season — of the year
  18. fork — in a road
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. last — final
  21. hand — help
  22. craft — a skill
  23. last — to go on
  24. fork — to eat with

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