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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: bear · rush · calf · pitcher · trunk · season · fork · root

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. season — of the year
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. root — of a word
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. root — of a plant
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. season — in sport
  20. root — the cause
  21. rush — hurry
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. fork — in a road

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