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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: vault · wake · trunk · bay · bark · season · field · bulb

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  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. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. field — for sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. wake — a trail
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bark — to shout
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. season — in sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. season — of the year
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. field — farmland
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bulb — for light
  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