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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 · fine · field · leaves · trunk · calf · last · vault

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fine — all right
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. field — a subject
  8. shower — rain
  9. field — for sport
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. last — final
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. last — to go on
  19. fine — high quality
  20. shower — to wash
  21. vault — a safe
  22. field — farmland
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. last — finally

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