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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 · wax · clip · board · pound · dip · prune · field

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. pound — a weight
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. field — farmland
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. clip — for paper
  7. vault — a safe
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. wax — to grow
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. field — for sport
  13. prune — to trim
  14. clip — a video
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. prune — to trim
  21. dip — to sink
  22. field — a subject
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. clip — to cut

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