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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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 · mine · march · rash · row · plane · nail · present

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  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. present — there
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — to paddle
  5. rash — hasty
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. fork — in a road
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rash — a series
  12. present — the time now
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. row — a line
  16. mine — for digging
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. plane — a tool
  21. march — the month
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. present — a gift
  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