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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 · sharp · swing · date · key · wave · file · vault

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. swing — to play on
  3. vault — a safe
  4. file — a document
  5. key — for a lock
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. file — a line of people
  14. key — the most important part
  15. date — the fruit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. swing — in golf
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. sharp — clever
  20. key — in music
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. swing — music
  24. file — a tool

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