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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: hand · track · trunk · vault · row · arm · staff · game

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. staff — employees
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. hand — help
  5. staff — employees
  6. vault — a safe
  7. row — a line
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — to paddle
  14. game — a match
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. staff — a stick
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. track — a path
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. game — wild animals

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