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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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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 · court · stock · vault · racket · file · bulb · fan

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. court — for sport
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. file — a tool
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. court — of a king
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. vault — a safe
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stock — shares
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. stock — goods
  19. court — of law
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bulb — for light

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