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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: tear · field · firm · vault · trunk · stem · mark · rash

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. firm — a company
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rash — a series
  8. tear — from crying
  9. field — farmland
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a grade
  14. field — a subject
  15. mark — a trace
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. rash — hasty
  18. stem — to come from
  19. firm — steady
  20. tear — to rip
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. vault — a safe
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. field — for sport

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