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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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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: band · sharp · stick · foot · wake · court · fork · perch

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a music group
  4. court — for sport
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — a measure
  18. wake — a trail
  19. perch — the fish
  20. court — of law
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. sharp — clever
  23. court — of a king
  24. fork — to eat with

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