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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: hand · bass · spring · pop · toast · vault · trunk · lean

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. spring — the season
  3. lean — thin
  4. pop — music
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bass — low music
  10. hand — help
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. bass — the fish
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. spring — of water
  17. pop — to visit
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. hand — in cards
  21. vault — a safe
  22. pop — soda
  23. lean — to bend
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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