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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: board · trunk · foot · chest · tube · season · vault · dip

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. vault — a safe
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. chest — of your body
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. board — a committee
  8. tube — the underground
  9. board — to get on
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. chest — a box
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. chest — of your body
  19. season — in sport
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. tube — a container
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. foot — a measure
  24. board — a flat piece

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