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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: mine · vault · mouse · bound · bat · last · prune · content

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bound — obliged
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. bound — tied together
  10. content — the amount
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bat — the animal
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. last — to go on
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mine — for digging
  20. content — happy
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bound — certain

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