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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: rush · trunk · cue · ball · fine · shower · spell · fork

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. cue — a hint
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. spell — letters
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — for pool
  7. shower — to wash
  8. fine — high quality
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. ball — a great time
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. spell — magic
  13. fine — all right
  14. spell — a short time
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. ball — a dance
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. fork — in a road
  24. rush — hurry

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