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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: leaves · club · fall · field · vault · lie · hide · prune

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. prune — to trim
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. lie — to recline
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. fall — the season
  14. field — a subject
  15. vault — a safe
  16. field — for sport
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. field — farmland
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. prune — to trim
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a group

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