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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 · wind · spring · drill · trunk · season · rock · toast

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — the tool
  5. season — of the year
  6. rock — music
  7. season — in sport
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. toast — bread
  10. spring — a coil
  11. drill — army training
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. vault — a safe
  15. spring — the season
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. spring — of water
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. wind — moving air
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rock — a stone
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. toast — the most admired

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