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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: bulb · wind · lie · prune · vault · last · bass · present

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. present — the time now
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. wind — moving air
  9. prune — to trim
  10. vault — a safe
  11. present — a gift
  12. last — final
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bulb — for light
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bulb — for light
  19. lie — to recline
  20. last — finally
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. present — there
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. lie — an untruth

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