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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: bass · stem · trunk · jam · current · court · wound · fork

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. court — of a king
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. fork — in a road
  7. wound — an injury
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. stem — to come from
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. current — electric
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. court — of law
  16. current — happening now
  17. bass — the fish
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wound — an injury
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bass — low music
  24. court — for sport

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