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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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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 · prune · deal · hand · present · track · wake · pound

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  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. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. track — a song
  4. wake — a trail
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. track — a path
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pound — a weight
  11. present — the time now
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. deal — to handle
  16. hand — in cards
  17. present — there
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. vault — a safe
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. hand — help
  22. track — to keep track
  23. present — a gift
  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