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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: patient · saw · vault · prune · tear · club · object · stick

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. saw — the tool
  3. object — to protest
  4. club — a group
  5. object — a thing
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. object — an aim
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. saw — the tool
  12. club — for dancing
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. vault — a safe
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. tear — to rip
  19. prune — to trim
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. club — for golf
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. patient — a sick person

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