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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: hide · shower · ruler · club · content · trunk · vault · kick

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. shower — to wash
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. vault — a safe
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. content — happy
  15. club — for dancing
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. content — the amount
  18. kick — in football
  19. club — for golf
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. shower — rain
  24. hide — animal skin

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