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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: row · arm · content · trunk · wake · craft · chest · vault

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. craft — boats
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. wake — a trail
  11. chest — of your body
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. content — happy
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. craft — a skill
  19. row — to paddle
  20. content — the amount
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. row — a line
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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