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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: fan · tube · fork · court · net · jam · ground · bank

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. ground — a position
  3. tube — a container
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. fork — in a road
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bank — for money
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. tube — the underground
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. net — in sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. court — for sport
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bank — for money
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. ground — crushed
  22. court — of law
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — after costs

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