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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 116 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: racket · cabinet · trunk · prune · fine · vault · cell · game

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. fine — high quality
  3. prune — to trim
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. prune — to trim
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. game — a match
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. cell — in biology
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. fine — all right
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. game — wild animals
  21. cell — a phone
  22. vault — a safe
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. cabinet — ministers

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