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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: field · bark · racket · rock · vault · rush · season · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bark — to shout
  6. season — of the year
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. field — farmland
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. season — in sport
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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