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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 · prune · ground · spell · race · land · tube · bulb

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. ground — crushed
  3. race — the arms race
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. spell — magic
  6. tube — a container
  7. land — a country
  8. bulb — for light
  9. prune — to trim
  10. race — a contest
  11. ground — a position
  12. spell — a short time
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. ground — the earth
  15. spell — letters
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — a safe
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bulb — for light
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. tube — in a tire

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