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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 120 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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. squash — the sport
  4. shower — to wash
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. row — a line
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. vault — a safe
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. squash — to crush
  14. wake — a trail
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. shower — rain
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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