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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bowl · current · cold · leaves · vault · lean · prune · pitcher

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  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. bowl — a football final
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. cold — not warm
  5. lean — to bend
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. cold — an illness
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. current — of water
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. prune — to trim
  20. current — happening now
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. lean — thin
  23. current — electric
  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