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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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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: hide · court · vault · current · trunk · wound · lash · wind

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. wind — moving air
  4. court — of law
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. current — happening now
  9. court — for sport
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wind — moving air
  15. court — of a king
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wound — an injury
  18. vault — a safe
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. current — of water
  24. current — electric

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