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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: vault · field · jam · shower · prune · can · hide · wind

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. wind — moving air
  3. field — a subject
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. field — for sport
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. wind — moving air
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. prune — to trim
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. prune — to trim
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. field — farmland
  17. can — a tin
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. shower — to wash
  20. vault — a safe
  21. can — a tin
  22. shower — rain
  23. can — to be able to
  24. wind — to turn a key

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