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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · bass · toast · vault · nail · season · prune · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. season — of the year
  4. vault — a safe
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. season — in sport
  10. prune — to trim
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. ground — crushed
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the fish
  16. toast — bread
  17. wound — an injury
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wound — an injury
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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