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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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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: cabinet · spring · file · trunk · ball · stick · vault · fall

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. spring — a coil
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. spring — of water
  13. vault — a safe
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a document
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ball — a dance
  19. spring — the season
  20. ball — a great time
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. file — a tool
  24. cabinet — ministers

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