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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.

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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: march · plane · fork · kid · arm · saw · nail · hide

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. plane — a tool
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. march — the month
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. march — the month
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. kid — child
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. kid — to tease
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — in a road

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