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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · toast · trunk · leaves · lean · spring · rock · coach

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. spring — of water
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. rock — a stone
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. lean — thin
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. spring — a coil
  13. rock — music
  14. vault — a safe
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. toast — bread
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. spring — the season
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. leaves — of a tree

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