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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: fork · date · bark · march · band · craft · perch · bowl

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  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. bowl — a football final
  2. perch — the fish
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. craft — boats
  6. fork — in a road
  7. date — the fruit
  8. march — the month
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. march — music
  14. bark — to shout
  15. craft — a skill
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. band — a ring
  20. march — the month
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. band — a music group
  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