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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 120 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: spring · vault · bat · wind · perch · trunk · can · arm

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. spring — of water
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. vault — a safe
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bat — the animal
  15. spring — the season
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. spring — a coil
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. wind — moving air
  24. trunk — of a tree

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