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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: straw · temple · hide · vault · pop · spell · prune · row

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pop — soda
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. spell — letters
  5. row — to paddle
  6. spell — magic
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pop — music
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pop — to visit
  18. spell — a short time
  19. vault — a safe
  20. row — a line
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. temple — a place of worship

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