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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: rest · mine · vault · chip · hand · roll · trunk · calf

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. vault — a safe
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. chip — to eat
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. hand — in cards
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. chip — for betting
  12. roll — a list
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. rest — what's left
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. roll — a cake
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. hand — help
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rest — a break

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