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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: prune · ball · vault · suit · kid · file · wake · club

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. club — for golf
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. club — for dancing
  5. ball — a great time
  6. suit — to fit
  7. kid — to tease
  8. prune — to trim
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — clothes
  11. club — a group
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wake — a trail
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. kid — child
  16. ball — a dance
  17. file — a document
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. prune — to trim
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — a safe
  22. file — a tool
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. ball — a round shape

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