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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: march · vault · trunk · bass · date · tear · stick · perch

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. tear — to rip
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. vault — a safe
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. march — music
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. march — the month
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bass — low music
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. date — the fruit
  20. perch — the fish
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. march — the month
  24. bass — the fish

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