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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bear — the animal
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. prune — to trim
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. prune — to trim
  10. shower — to wash
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. shower — rain
  14. capital — money
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. capital — a city
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bear — the animal
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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