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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: toast · key · tear · game · wave · trunk · vault · squash

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. squash — the sport
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. squash — to crush
  6. toast — bread
  7. tear — from crying
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. tear — from crying
  12. key — for a lock
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. vault — a safe
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. key — in music
  23. tear — to rip
  24. key — the most important part

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