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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. club — for golf
  7. net — for catching
  8. pop — soda
  9. club — for dancing
  10. fork — in a road
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. pop — to visit
  15. club — a group
  16. pop — music
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. stand — to bear
  20. net — in sport
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. net — after costs
  23. capital — money
  24. stand — on your feet

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