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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: vault · roll · trunk · leaves · cabinet · degree · spell · wound

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. degree — from a university
  3. roll — a cake
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. spell — a short time
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. spell — letters
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. vault — a safe
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. spell — magic
  17. wound — an injury
  18. degree — temperature
  19. roll — a list
  20. wound — an injury
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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