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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: game · stand · bass · mate · trunk · vault · kid · cabinet

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  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. kid — to tease
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. game — wild animals
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. game — a match
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. kid — child
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. mate — a partner
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. mate — to breed
  14. vault — a safe
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bass — low music
  18. mate — a friend
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. stand — to bear
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. stand — for spectators
  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