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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: club · trunk · vault · racket · fall · clip · saw · roll

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. clip — a video
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for golf
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fall — the season
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. saw — the tool
  14. club — for dancing
  15. roll — a cake
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. fall — to drop
  19. saw — the tool
  20. clip — for paper
  21. roll — a list
  22. clip — to cut
  23. vault — a safe
  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