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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: fork · squash · stick · chair · face · march · bark · perch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. march — the month
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. face — to confront
  6. march — music
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — to shout
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. squash — the sport
  13. march — the month
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to point toward
  18. perch — the fish
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. chair — a leader
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — to crush
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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