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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 · trunk · toast · stick · fork · bulb · bound · chest

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. chest — a box
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bound — certain
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bound — tied together
  21. chest — of your body
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bulb — for light

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