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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: present · pitch · vault · staff · content · stand · saw · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. staff — employees
  3. stand — to bear
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — completely
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. prune — to trim
  12. present — there
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. vault — a safe
  15. saw — the tool
  16. present — the time now
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. saw — the tool
  19. content — happy
  20. present — a gift
  21. staff — a stick
  22. content — the amount
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. staff — employees

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