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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · staff · temple · mug · pop · vault · cold · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pop — to visit
  4. cold — not warm
  5. mug — to rob
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. key — for a lock
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. staff — a stick
  11. prune — to trim
  12. key — the most important part
  13. mug — a cup
  14. pop — soda
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. staff — employees
  17. cold — an illness
  18. key — in music
  19. staff — employees
  20. vault — a safe
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. mug — a face
  23. pop — music
  24. cold — the Cold War

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