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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: prune · vault · staff · season · straw · squash · band · firm

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. squash — to crush
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. band — a music group
  5. firm — steady
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. prune — to trim
  8. staff — employees
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. staff — employees
  11. band — a ring
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — a company
  17. prune — to trim
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — the sport
  20. season — in sport
  21. staff — a stick
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. season — of the year
  24. vault — a safe

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