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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: vault · mine · trunk · file · leaves · straw · chair · temple

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. mine — for digging
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. file — a document
  18. chair — a leader
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a line of people
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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