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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: deal · vault · ball · present · prune · fall · mine · press

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. ball — a great time
  6. fall — the season
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. ball — a dance
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fall — to drop
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. present — a gift
  15. press — a publisher
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. vault — a safe
  18. press — newspapers
  19. present — the time now
  20. deal — to handle
  21. present — there
  22. press — to push
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fall — to drop

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