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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: spring · calf · tube · can · vault · date · mate · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. mate — a partner
  3. can — a tin
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. date — the fruit
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. can — to be able to
  9. spring — of water
  10. vault — a safe
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — to breed
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. spring — a coil
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. spring — the season
  17. tube — a container
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. can — a tin
  24. tube — the underground

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