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

Word bank: trunk · chest · stick · pound · deal · hide · cell · vault

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. cell — a phone
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. deal — to handle
  13. chest — a box
  14. pound — a weight
  15. cell — in biology
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. chest — of your body
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. chest — of your body
  24. vault — a safe

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