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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 116 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: bark · kick · pound · craft · fork · season · row · leaves

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. kick — in football
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. craft — boats
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bark — to shout
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. row — a line
  22. row — to paddle
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. craft — a skill

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