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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: fall · trunk · club · mine · bear · pop · date · vault

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. fall — the season
  3. club — for dancing
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bear — the animal
  10. club — a group
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. club — for golf
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. pop — music
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pop — to visit
  19. mine — for digging
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. pop — soda
  22. date — the fruit
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mine — belonging to me

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