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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fork · track · bore · march · shower · bark · saw · arm

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. march — music
  3. shower — to wash
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. shower — rain
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. track — to keep track
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bark — to shout
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. track — a song
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — to drill
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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