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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: trunk · can · object · mine · vault · clip · spell · wake

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. object — an aim
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. wake — a trail
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. clip — a video
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. can — a tin
  12. spell — a short time
  13. clip — to cut
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. object — to protest
  18. vault — a safe
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  24. object — a thing

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