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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: temple · chair · root · clip · field · vault · prune · leaves

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. prune — to trim
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. prune — to trim
  8. root — the cause
  9. chair — a leader
  10. field — for sport
  11. clip — for paper
  12. field — a subject
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. vault — a safe
  17. clip — to cut
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. field — farmland
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. clip — a video

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