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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: prune · face · chair · season · lean · cue · vault · key

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. cue — a hint
  3. lean — thin
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. face — to confront
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lean — to bend
  8. prune — to trim
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. cue — for pool
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. face — to point toward
  14. chair — a leader
  15. vault — a safe
  16. face — part of the head
  17. season — of the year
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cue — a signal
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. season — in sport
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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