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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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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 · patient · racket · fork · stem · vault · snap · file

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. fork — in a road
  9. stem — to come from
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. file — a document
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. snap — to click
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. file — a tool
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. file — a line of people

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