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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: trunk · pound · bass · key · vault · wake · tear · wound

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bass — low music
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. wake — a trail
  12. tear — to rip
  13. vault — a safe
  14. key — in music
  15. tear — from crying
  16. key — for a lock
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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