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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 · stand · bark · rest · wound · staff · fork · last

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. staff — employees
  7. rest — what's left
  8. last — final
  9. rest — a break
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. last — finally
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. rest — what's left
  18. march — music
  19. bark — to shout
  20. march — the month
  21. staff — a stick
  22. stand — to bear
  23. last — to go on
  24. march — the month

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