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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: face · mug · vault · saw · cold · tube · calf · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. mug — a face
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. face — to point toward
  7. vault — a safe
  8. saw — the tool
  9. face — part of the head
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. mug — to rob
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — not warm
  16. face — to confront
  17. tube — a container
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. tube — the underground
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mug — a cup
  24. cold — an illness

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