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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: net · trunk · bear · vault · cabinet · coach · toast · cell

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. net — after costs
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. net — for catching
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. cell — in biology
  14. toast — bread
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. net — in sport
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. cell — a phone
  21. vault — a safe
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bear — the animal
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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