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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 116 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 · ground · fork · spring · rock · dip · mouse · game

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. ground — a position
  5. fork — in a road
  6. ground — the earth
  7. rock — a stone
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. rock — music
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. game — a match
  14. spring — a coil
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. spring — of water
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. game — wild animals
  22. ground — crushed
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. dip — to sink

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