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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: object · spell · vault · prune · press · field · rash · tube

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  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. press — newspapers
  2. object — an aim
  3. tube — the underground
  4. prune — to trim
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. object — a thing
  8. tube — a container
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. press — a publisher
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — a safe
  15. object — to protest
  16. spell — magic
  17. press — to push
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. field — farmland
  23. rash — a series
  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