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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 · file · chest · land · rock · lie · prune · capital

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. land — ground
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. chest — a box
  5. rock — a stone
  6. land — a country
  7. lie — to recline
  8. land — to come down
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. file — a tool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — a safe
  15. chest — of your body
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. prune — to trim
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. file — a document
  22. capital — a city
  23. chest — of your body
  24. capital — money

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