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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: trunk · branch · press · vault · temple · pitcher · wax · rule

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. press — a publisher
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rule — government
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. press — newspapers
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. press — to push
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. branch — a division
  21. rule — a law
  22. wax — to grow
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. branch — of a bank

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