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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. root — of a word
  14. perch — the fish
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. root — of a plant
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bat — the animal
  22. root — the cause
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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