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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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: staff · sharp · vault · prune · cue · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. cue — a signal
  6. staff — employees
  7. mine — for digging
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cue — a hint
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. vault — a safe
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. cue — for pool
  15. staff — employees
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. staff — a stick
  18. vault — in gymnastics

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