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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: scale · toast · cell · rock · trunk · march · saw · vault

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. vault — a safe
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. march — the month
  8. saw — the tool
  9. march — the month
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. cell — a phone
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. saw — the tool
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. march — music
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. toast — bread
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. scale — size or range
  24. cell — in biology

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