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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: nail · bulb · mug · lean · trunk · fork · game · cold

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. cold — an illness
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. lean — thin
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. mug — a face
  11. game — wild animals
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fork — in a road
  19. game — a match
  20. cold — not warm
  21. mug — to rob
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. nail — for a hammer

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