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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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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. ball — a dance
  5. wound — an injury
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — a safe
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. net — for catching
  11. wound — an injury
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. ball — a great time
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. net — after costs
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. net — in sport
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. tear — from crying
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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