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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 · cue · club · stem · wake · prune · rush · band

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. cue — for pool
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. vault — a safe
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. wake — a trail
  9. club — for dancing
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. cue — a signal
  15. club — a group
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cue — a hint
  18. rush — hurry
  19. prune — to trim
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. stem — to come from
  24. prune — to trim

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