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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: trunk · chair · calf · spring · fork · cabinet · bear · chest

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chest — a box
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fork — in a road
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bear — the animal
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — the season
  16. bear — the animal
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. spring — of water
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. chair — a leader
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. trunk — of a tree

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