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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: trunk · wake · shower · stick · land · vault · chair · mug

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. mug — to rob
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. vault — a safe
  5. shower — to wash
  6. mug — a face
  7. shower — rain
  8. chair — a leader
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. land — ground
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. land — a country
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. mug — a cup
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. land — to come down
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. chair — to sit on

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