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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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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: kid · ground · trunk · toast · swing · fork · saw · stick

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. toast — bread
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. fork — in a road
  11. kid — child
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — in golf
  23. kid — to tease
  24. ground — the earth

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