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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 116 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 · cap · key · march · wind · fork · trunk · pound

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. drill — a practice
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. key — the most important part
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. cap — a lid
  12. key — for a lock
  13. pound — a weight
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cap — a hat
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. march — music
  19. cap — of ice
  20. fork — in a road
  21. drill — army training
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pound — to hit hard

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