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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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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: saw · fork · stick · last · board · foot · band · ground

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. saw — the tool
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. board — to get on
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. board — a committee
  9. last — final
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — finally
  13. ground — the earth
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. ground — crushed
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ground — a position
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. fork — in a road
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a music group

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