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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: fork · wake · mark · craft · bore · band · snap · last

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wake — a trail
  3. band — a music group
  4. mark — a grade
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. mark — a trace
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. snap — to click
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — final
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — to drill
  15. band — a ring
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. last — finally
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. craft — a skill
  21. fork — in a road
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. craft — boats

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