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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 · fall · spell · race · jam · prune · net · band

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fall — to drop
  4. net — in sport
  5. prune — to trim
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. band — a music group
  10. race — a contest
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. fall — the season
  14. band — a ring
  15. spell — a short time
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. spell — magic
  18. vault — a safe
  19. spell — letters
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. fall — to drop
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — the arms race
  24. prune — to trim

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