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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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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: leaves · trunk · bore · vault · swing · mine · kick · track

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a song
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bore — to drill
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. swing — to play on
  20. track — a path
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bore — to tire
  24. kick — in football

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