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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 · season · spring · fan · ball · ground · club · wake

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. ground — a position
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. spring — of water
  8. ground — the earth
  9. season — in sport
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. ball — a dance
  18. club — a group
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. ball — a great time
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. season — of the year
  23. ground — crushed
  24. trunk — of a car

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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