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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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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: toast · lash · mate · vault · ruler · clip · prune · mine

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. prune — to trim
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. prune — to trim
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. clip — for paper
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. vault — a safe
  20. toast — bread
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mate — a friend
  23. clip — a video
  24. prune — the fruit

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