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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: vault · nail · squash · ground · file · trunk · cell · bear

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. file — a tool
  4. bear — the animal
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — a safe
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. squash — to crush
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bear — the animal
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. file — a line of people
  15. ground — a position
  16. cell — in biology
  17. file — a document
  18. squash — the sport
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — the earth
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. cell — a phone

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