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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mark · file · leaves · club · stock · vault · bat

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bat — the animal
  3. vault — a safe
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. club — for dancing
  11. file — a tool
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. file — a document
  14. mark — a trace
  15. stock — shares
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. mark — a grade
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. file — a line of people
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. club — a group
  23. stock — goods
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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