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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: stand · court · trunk · spring · pit · fork · pitcher · object

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. object — an aim
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. object — to protest
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pit — in a race
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. stand — to bear
  12. pit — a hole
  13. court — for sport
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. object — a thing
  16. court — of law
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. spring — the season
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. spring — of water
  23. court — of a king
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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