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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · pitch · tube · bound · court · trunk · vault · pound

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. court — of law
  4. tube — the underground
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bound — obliged
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pound — a weight
  12. tube — a container
  13. shower — rain
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bound — certain
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. court — of a king
  19. shower — to wash
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bound — tied together
  22. court — for sport
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. pound — to hit hard

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