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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: jam · trunk · stem · hand · band · fork · kick · bear

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. fork — in a road
  12. hand — help
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. band — a music group
  16. kick — in football
  17. hand — in cards
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. band — a ring
  23. bear — the animal
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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