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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: fan · fork · shower · trunk · jam · court · deal · calf

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. shower — to wash
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. court — of law
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. shower — rain
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. court — for sport
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. court — of a king
  23. fork — in a road
  24. deal — to handle

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