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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
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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: roll · prune · vault · lean · branch · pitch · field · date

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  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. lean — to bend
  2. roll — a cake
  3. field — farmland
  4. prune — to trim
  5. field — for sport
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. branch — a division
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. prune — to trim
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. vault — a safe
  16. roll — a list
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pitch — completely
  20. lean — thin
  21. field — a subject
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. branch — of a bank
  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