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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 120 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: chest · trunk · content · vault · stem · lash · tear · spell

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. chest — of your body
  4. content — the amount
  5. chest — a box
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. spell — a short time
  8. vault — a safe
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. chest — of your body
  13. spell — letters
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — to come from
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. content — happy
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. spell — magic
  24. trunk — of a car

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