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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. tear — from crying
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bulb — for light
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bulb — for light
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mine — for digging
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. vault — a safe
  24. wound — an injury

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