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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: pound · cue · root · trunk · fine · vault · key · bore

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. cue — a hint
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. root — of a word
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. key — the most important part
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — high quality
  9. cue — a signal
  10. key — for a lock
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. root — of a plant
  16. cue — for pool
  17. root — the cause
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bore — to tire
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bore — to drill
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. key — in music
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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