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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: bowl · tear · stick · trunk · bark · vault · race · craft

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. craft — boats
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. vault — a safe
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bark — to shout
  11. race — a contest
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. race — humankind
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. craft — a skill

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