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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.

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
468
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 · bound · fork · wound · pit · perch · season · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pit — a hole
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bound — tied together
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bound — certain
  13. season — of the year
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. can — a tin
  17. bound — obliged
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pit — in a race
  21. season — in sport
  22. march — music
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — a garden tool

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