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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: spell · nail · bat · land · trunk · straw · vault · tube

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bat — the animal
  3. spell — magic
  4. vault — a safe
  5. land — to come down
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. tube — a container
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. spell — letters
  24. tube — the underground

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