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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 120 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: temple · stock · wound · vault · calf · pop · kid · trunk

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stock — goods
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. vault — a safe
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. wound — an injury
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. stock — shares
  12. kid — child
  13. pop — soda
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. kid — to tease
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pop — music
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. pop — to visit

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