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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: vault · spell · rush · net · trunk · prune · wound · bark

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. spell — letters
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. wound — an injury
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. vault — a safe
  13. net — after costs
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. spell — magic
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. prune — to trim
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. net — in sport

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