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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: stick · vault · rash · foot · bass · file · pitch · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bass — the fish
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bass — low music
  5. file — a line of people
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. rash — a series
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — a safe
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. file — a document
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pitch — completely
  24. file — a tool

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