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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: racket · trunk · march · bowl · rule · fork · spring · present

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. spring — a coil
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. spring — the season
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. march — the month
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. spring — of water
  14. present — there
  15. present — a gift
  16. rule — a law
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. rule — government
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fork — to eat with

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