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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: fork · last · trunk · fine · bulb · deal · pitcher · stem

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — all right
  5. deal — to handle
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. last — finally
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. stem — to come from
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. last — final
  23. last — to go on
  24. deal — an agreement

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