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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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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: arm · mug · bowl · vault · kid · pitcher · wave · prune

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. mug — a face
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. kid — child
  9. prune — to trim
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. vault — a safe
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — to rob
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. pitcher — a jug

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