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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: fall · fork · season · drill · sharp · firm · bark · wave

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. drill — the tool
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. firm — a company
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. firm — decided
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. fall — to drop
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bark — to shout
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. firm — steady
  16. fall — the season
  17. season — of the year
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. sharp — clever
  20. season — in sport
  21. drill — army training
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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