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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: vault · branch · shower · cue · trunk · pop · chest · wave

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. cue — for pool
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. shower — to wash
  9. cue — a signal
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. chest — of your body
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. shower — rain
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. vault — a safe
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. cue — a hint
  21. branch — a division
  22. chest — of your body
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. chest — a box

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