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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 116 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: bat · bear · pop · fall · trunk · mark · vault · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. spring — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. fall — the season
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. vault — a safe
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pop — to visit
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — music
  24. mark — to pay attention

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