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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: wound · object · vault · bank · cap · prune · last · leaves

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cap — a hat
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cap — a lid
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. cap — of ice
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. last — to go on
  10. bank — for money
  11. object — to protest
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bank — for money
  16. last — final
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — a thing
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — a safe
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bank — of a river
  23. wound — an injury
  24. leaves — to go away

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