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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 116 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: vault · march · suit · sharp · trunk · wound · bear · pound

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. march — the month
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. suit — in cards
  5. suit — to fit
  6. wound — an injury
  7. suit — clothes
  8. sharp — clever
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bear — the animal
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pound — a weight
  20. march — music
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. march — the month
  24. vault — a safe

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