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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.

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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 · rush · track · fork · court · spell · bay · fan

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. track — a path
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. track — to keep track
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. spell — a short time
  10. court — of a king
  11. spell — letters
  12. fork — in a road
  13. court — of law
  14. track — a song
  15. spell — magic
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. court — for sport
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. rush — hurry
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. fan — to cool the air

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