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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.

Make a worksheet

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: leaves · vault · bear · court · land · trunk · roll · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. roll — a cake
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — of law
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. wake — a trail
  16. court — for sport
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. roll — a list
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. land — ground
  24. roll — on a roll

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