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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 120 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: straw · field · cabinet · leaves · vault · arm · staff · calf

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. staff — employees
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. vault — a safe
  8. field — for sport
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. field — a subject
  20. staff — employees
  21. field — farmland
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. staff — a stick

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