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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: vault · stand · bear · wind · prune · patient · spell · can

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bear — the animal
  3. vault — a safe
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bear — the animal
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. can — a tin
  11. spell — a short time
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. can — a tin
  15. prune — to trim
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. spell — magic
  19. wind — moving air
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. stand — to bear
  24. prune — to trim

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