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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: last · shower · race · wax · vault · trunk · fork · bulb

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. shower — rain
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bulb — for light
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. shower — to wash
  11. vault — a safe
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bulb — for light
  14. race — a contest
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — humankind
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — finally
  22. last — final
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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