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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: key · jam · vault · track · prune · wind · calf · wound

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. key — in music
  6. wound — an injury
  7. prune — to trim
  8. track — a path
  9. wound — an injury
  10. key — the most important part
  11. track — to keep track
  12. wind — moving air
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. track — a song
  15. key — for a lock
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. prune — to trim
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wind — moving air
  24. calf — a young animal

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