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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: hand · stand · sharp · mark · trunk · ground · bore · fork

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bore — to tire
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. sharp — clever
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. mark — a trace
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. ground — a position
  13. fork — in a road
  14. bore — to drill
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. mark — a grade
  19. hand — help
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. ground — the earth

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