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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: trunk · safe · race · clip · cap · bank · vault · pound

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a hat
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. bank — for money
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. race — a contest
  10. clip — a video
  11. vault — a safe
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. cap — a lid
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bank — for money
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. race — humankind
  20. clip — for paper
  21. pound — a weight
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bank — of a river

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