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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: fork · content · bear · trunk · rush · object · pop · stem

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pop — soda
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. pop — music
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fork — in a road
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. object — a thing
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bear — the animal
  15. content — the amount
  16. object — an aim
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. object — to protest
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. content — happy

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