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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: band · stem · fan · march · trunk · ground · fork · object

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. ground — crushed
  9. march — the month
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. object — to protest
  13. stem — to come from
  14. object — a thing
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. march — music
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. band — a ring
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. march — the month
  22. object — an aim
  23. ground — the earth
  24. band — a music group

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