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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: season · tear · content · lash · calf · bay · fork · march

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. tear — from crying
  5. season — of the year
  6. march — the month
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. tear — to rip
  12. content — happy
  13. march — the month
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. march — music
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. season — in sport
  22. content — the amount
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. calf — of the leg

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