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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: fork · stem · trunk · cap · bark · roll · cabinet · bass

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. cap — a hat
  3. roll — a cake
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bass — low music
  8. fork — in a road
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bass — the fish
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. roll — a list
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. stem — to come from
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — of ice
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bark — to shout
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. cabinet — ministers

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