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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: pass · wound · key · fork · stick · march · swing · tube

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. wound — an injury
  4. tube — a container
  5. key — the most important part
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. march — music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. march — the month
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. swing — to play on
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. march — the month
  18. key — in music
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. swing — in golf
  23. tube — the underground
  24. swing — music

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