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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 · cell · drill · board · pop · fork · field · wake

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. field — farmland
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. drill — army training
  5. cell — in biology
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. field — a subject
  12. fork — in a road
  13. board — a committee
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. board — to get on
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — a trail
  20. field — for sport
  21. pop — to visit
  22. cell — a phone
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — music

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