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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: vault · chair · lie · mine · cap · club · bore · trunk

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. club — for golf
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. mine — for digging
  6. club — for dancing
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bore — to tire
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bore — to drill
  11. cap — of ice
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — a safe
  14. cap — a lid
  15. club — a group
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. chair — a professorship

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