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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. kid — to tease
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spell — magic
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. vault — a safe
  17. spell — letters
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bark — to shout
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. can — a tin
  24. kid — child

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