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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 · arm · press · fan · jam · prune · content · bay

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. prune — to trim
  4. press — a publisher
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. content — happy
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. press — to push
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. content — the amount
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. prune — to trim
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. vault — a safe

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