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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: march · wind · mark · bore · stem · fork · chair · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a leader
  6. march — music
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. march — the month
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bore — to tire
  11. pop — music
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. pop — soda
  14. march — the month
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. mark — a trace
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. mark — a grade

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