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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: vault · saw · pit · land · chip · wound · prune · bore

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. land — to come down
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. pit — a hole
  7. prune — to trim
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bore — to tire
  10. chip — to eat
  11. vault — a safe
  12. wound — an injury
  13. land — a country
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wound — an injury
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. land — ground
  19. chip — for betting
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bore — to drill
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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