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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: temple · press · mouse · last · vault · trunk · bowl · march

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. last — finally
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. last — final
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. march — the month
  18. last — to go on
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. press — newspapers
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. press — to push
  23. press — a publisher
  24. mouse — the animal

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