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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: tear · trunk · bear · patient · vault · pound · kick · spell

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  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. kick — with a leg
  2. spell — a short time
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. spell — letters
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. tear — from crying
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bear — the animal
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. vault — a safe
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. spell — magic
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bear — the animal
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. pound — a weight
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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