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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: charge · spring · bass · prune · vault · fall · tube · sharp

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. charge — electricity
  3. sharp — clever
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bass — the fish
  6. charge — in control
  7. fall — to drop
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — of water
  10. bass — low music
  11. spring — a coil
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. charge — a price
  15. tube — the underground
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. vault — a safe
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. tube — a container
  21. prune — to trim
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. fall — the season
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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