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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: tear · jam · pop · bear · trunk · vault · board · field

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. field — a subject
  4. board — to get on
  5. tear — from crying
  6. field — for sport
  7. pop — music
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pop — soda
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. field — farmland
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bear — the animal
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bear — the animal
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. board — a committee
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. tear — from crying
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. board — a flat piece

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