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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rock · vault · shower · rule · season · fall · pitcher

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. shower — to wash
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rule — government
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. rock — music
  12. season — of the year
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. season — in sport
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. vault — a safe
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rule — a law
  22. fall — to drop
  23. shower — rain
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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