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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: trunk · file · vault · bear · swing · hand · field · pit

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. swing — to play on
  6. file — a document
  7. swing — in golf
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. field — a subject
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. swing — music
  13. hand — help
  14. bear — the animal
  15. field — for sport
  16. pit — in a race
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a line of people
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. field — farmland
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — a safe
  24. trunk — of a tree

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