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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  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. last — finally
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. last — final
  8. bank — of a river
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. band — a music group
  11. perch — the fish
  12. rush — hurry
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. vault — a safe
  16. band — a ring
  17. last — to go on
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bank — for money
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bank — for money
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  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