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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 · row · band · trunk · game · cabinet · hide · root

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. vault — a safe
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a word
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. root — of a plant
  15. row — a line
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. game — wild animals
  23. row — to paddle
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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