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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 120 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: ball · vault · content · net · prune · mouse · object · row

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. object — an aim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. net — for catching
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. net — in sport
  9. content — happy
  10. object — to protest
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. ball — a dance
  14. content — the amount
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. row — to paddle
  19. vault — a safe
  20. net — after costs
  21. prune — to trim
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — a line
  24. ball — a great time

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