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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cap · bore · march · fork · trunk · court · bark · fan

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. court — for sport
  5. march — the month
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. court — of a king
  10. march — the month
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bark — to shout
  14. cap — a hat
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. court — of law
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. march — music
  24. bore — gave birth

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