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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 116 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: cell · trunk · bowl · fork · vault · wind · stand · spell

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. vault — a safe
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. fork — in a road
  13. cell — in biology
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stand — to bear
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. spell — a short time

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