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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: rest · squash · trunk · vault · date · bay · bark · mine

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. rest — a break
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. mine — for digging
  7. vault — a safe
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. rest — what's left
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. rest — what's left
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bark — to shout

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