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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 · bark · pop · wound · spell · perch · key · arm

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. fork — to eat with
  2. pop — soda
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pop — music
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. wound — an injury
  8. spell — a short time
  9. fork — in a road
  10. spell — magic
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bark — to shout
  14. key — in music
  15. perch — the fish
  16. key — the most important part
  17. wound — an injury
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. pop — to visit
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. spell — letters
  23. bark — of a tree
  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