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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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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: pop · trunk · vault · wind · mug · perch · ground · row

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. perch — the fish
  3. mug — to rob
  4. pop — music
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pop — to visit
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wind — moving air
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pop — soda
  12. row — a line
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. ground — crushed
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. mug — a face
  17. wind — moving air
  18. vault — a safe
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — the earth
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. row — to paddle

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