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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: land · fan · last · bowl · vault · prune · stock · firm

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. land — to come down
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. land — ground
  8. stock — shares
  9. firm — a company
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. firm — steady
  12. stock — goods
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. last — final
  15. prune — to trim
  16. vault — a safe
  17. firm — decided
  18. last — finally
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. land — a country
  23. last — to go on
  24. bowl — a football final

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