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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: court · season · clip · vault · bulb · bank · trunk · can

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. court — of law
  3. season — in sport
  4. bank — for money
  5. clip — for paper
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bank — for money
  11. can — a tin
  12. court — for sport
  13. can — to be able to
  14. clip — to cut
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. court — of a king
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. clip — a video
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bulb — for light
  22. vault — a safe
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. can — a tin

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