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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: trunk · arm · kick · pitcher · club · fork · net · date

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. club — for dancing
  12. net — for catching
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. kick — in football
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. net — after costs
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. club — a group
  21. net — in sport
  22. club — for golf
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. date — the fruit

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