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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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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: kick · jam · trunk · season · pound · fork · wake · row

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. row — a line
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wake — a trail
  9. season — in sport
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. fork — in a road
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — a weight
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. jam — in traffic

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