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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: temple · squash · clip · can · hand · wind · vault · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. can — a tin
  3. clip — to cut
  4. hand — help
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. vault — a safe
  8. wind — moving air
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. squash — the sport
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. prune — to trim
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. squash — to crush
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. can — to be able to
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wind — moving air
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. can — a tin
  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