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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · clip · roll · pitcher · prune · vault · board · chair

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fine — all right
  3. roll — a cake
  4. vault — a safe
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fine — high quality
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. board — a committee
  10. clip — to cut
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. clip — a video
  18. board — to get on
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. clip — for paper
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. prune — the fruit

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