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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 · season · bowl · bass · trunk · spring · roll · mate

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. season — of the year
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. spring — the season
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. roll — a cake
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — to breed
  13. roll — a list
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bass — low music
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. season — in sport
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bass — the fish

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