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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: mark · bark · trunk · pop · bulb · cell · last · vault

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pop — soda
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. last — finally
  12. mark — a trace
  13. last — final
  14. bulb — for light
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — a safe
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — a phone
  23. mark — a grade
  24. last — to go on

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