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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: calf · squash · chest · cabinet · wax · file · trunk · vault

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. wax — to grow
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. vault — a safe
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. chest — of your body
  14. file — a line of people
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. file — a tool
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. file — a document
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. squash — to crush

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