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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: cabinet · ground · vault · spell · mine · bound · trunk · sharp

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — crushed
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — tied together
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. vault — a safe
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. spell — magic
  18. sharp — clever
  19. spell — letters
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. spell — a short time
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bound — certain
  24. ground — a position

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