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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. can — a tin
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. vault — a safe
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. can — to be able to
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. tube — a container
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a document
  21. sharp — clever
  22. file — a tool
  23. tube — the underground
  24. trunk — of a car

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