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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: wound · capital · mouse · stem · vault · file · trunk · rule

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. stem — to come from
  5. file — a line of people
  6. rule — government
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — a city
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. file — a document
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. file — a tool
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. wound — an injury

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