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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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Word bank
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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: toast · arm · bark · bat · season · drill · wound · fork

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. fork — in a road
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. drill — army training
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. season — of the year
  10. toast — bread
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. season — in sport
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — the animal
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bark — to shout
  23. drill — a practice
  24. wound — an injury

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