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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 120 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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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: race · craft · prune · scale · vault · lie · fall · cap

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. race — a contest
  3. fall — the season
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. cap — a hat
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lie — to recline
  8. fall — to drop
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. fall — to drop
  11. scale — in music
  12. craft — boats
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. race — humankind
  16. cap — of ice
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. cap — a lid
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. scale — size or range
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. craft — a skill
  23. race — the arms race
  24. prune — to trim

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