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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 · cue · march · nail · lean · rush · land · bark

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. cue — a hint
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. march — the month
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. lean — thin
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. cue — a signal
  11. fork — in a road
  12. march — music
  13. land — a country
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. land — to come down
  18. cue — for pool
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. bark — to shout
  21. lean — to bend
  22. rush — hurry
  23. land — ground
  24. nail — on a finger

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