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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: trunk · bark · bat · fork · fan · coach · straw · pit

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bark — to shout
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. fork — in a road
  14. pit — a hole
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pit — in a race
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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