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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: lie · wind · swing · vault · cold · charge · roll · prune

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cold — not warm
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wind — moving air
  7. vault — a safe
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. charge — electricity
  10. swing — in golf
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. prune — to trim
  13. charge — a price
  14. lie — to recline
  15. swing — music
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. charge — in control
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. cold — an illness
  21. wind — moving air
  22. roll — a cake
  23. roll — a list
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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