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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: current · fork · roll · stick · tear · march · net · calf

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. current — happening now
  3. roll — a list
  4. tear — from crying
  5. current — of water
  6. net — after costs
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fork — in a road
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. march — the month
  15. net — for catching
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. roll — a cake
  18. net — in sport
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. tear — to rip
  24. current — electric

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