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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. stand — to bear
  9. fork — in a road
  10. court — of law
  11. spell — magic
  12. court — for sport
  13. spell — letters
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — to shout
  17. season — of the year
  18. court — of a king
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. spell — a short time
  21. season — in sport
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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