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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: trunk · field · charge · march · fan · fork · jam · foot

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. march — music
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. charge — in control
  19. charge — a price
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. charge — electricity
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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