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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: mouse · land · vault · trunk · court · straw · present · drill

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. court — for sport
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. drill — army training
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. vault — a safe
  10. present — a gift
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. present — the time now
  14. court — of law
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. land — a country
  19. drill — the tool
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. land — to come down
  22. court — of a king
  23. drill — a practice
  24. present — there

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