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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.

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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: vault · spell · kick · ground · track · saw · prune · staff

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. prune — to trim
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. ground — crushed
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. kick — in football
  10. spell — a short time
  11. prune — to trim
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. spell — magic
  14. staff — a stick
  15. track — to keep track
  16. saw — the tool
  17. track — a song
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — a safe
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spell — letters
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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