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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 · dip · bulb · season · face · prune · wound · field

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. dip — to sink
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bulb — for light
  8. face — to confront
  9. prune — to trim
  10. vault — a safe
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. season — in sport
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bulb — for light
  17. field — a subject
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. season — of the year
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. prune — the fruit

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