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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: trunk · chest · bat · lie · row · hide · vault · spell

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. spell — a short time
  3. chest — of your body
  4. spell — magic
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. row — to paddle
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — the animal
  15. vault — a safe
  16. row — a line
  17. chest — a box
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. lie — to recline
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. spell — letters

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