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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 116 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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468
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: trunk · cell · wound · rash · ground · calf · bulb · vault

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. cell — a phone
  3. vault — a safe
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. wound — an injury
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. rash — hasty
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wound — an injury
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. cell — in biology
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. ground — crushed
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rash — a series
  24. bulb — of a plant

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