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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: kid · date · vault · root · swing · trunk · mark · fine

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. swing — music
  5. root — the cause
  6. fine — all right
  7. mark — a grade
  8. swing — in golf
  9. root — of a word
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. kid — to tease
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. kid — child
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. root — of a plant
  19. date — the fruit
  20. fine — high quality
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. swing — to play on
  24. mark — a trace

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