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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 120 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: mark · scale · clip · hand · press · calf · vault · trunk

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mark — a trace
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. press — newspapers
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. scale — in music
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. press — to push
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. clip — a video
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — to cut
  20. hand — in cards
  21. mark — a grade
  22. scale — size or range
  23. press — a publisher
  24. vault — a safe

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