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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: spring · bear · vault · file · trunk · pound · ground · tear

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pound — a weight
  6. file — a document
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. spring — of water
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bear — the animal
  16. spring — the season
  17. tear — to rip
  18. spring — a coil
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. vault — a safe
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. tear — from crying

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