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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: prune · vault · drill · wake · firm · staff · cold · pitch

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. firm — a company
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. drill — the tool
  5. firm — steady
  6. drill — a practice
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. staff — employees
  9. vault — a safe
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. drill — army training
  13. wake — a trail
  14. cold — not warm
  15. staff — a stick
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — completely
  18. prune — to trim
  19. staff — employees
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. firm — decided
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — an illness

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