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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 · ground · trunk · bear · pop · pass · fan · leaves

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. pass — a permit
  3. ground — the earth
  4. pop — to visit
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pop — soda
  10. fork — in a road
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. ground — crushed
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bear — the animal
  19. ground — a position
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pop — music
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. leaves — of a tree

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