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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: wave · vault · perch · deal · land · cell · arm · prune

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. vault — a safe
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. deal — to handle
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. prune — to trim
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. cell — in biology
  17. land — to come down
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. prune — to trim
  20. land — ground
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. cell — a phone
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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