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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.

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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: shower · ball · prune · pass · vault · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. ball — a dance
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — to wash
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. ball — a great time
  8. hand — in cards
  9. prune — to trim
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — a permit
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. prune — to trim
  18. ball — a round shape

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