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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 116 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: saw · club · prune · fall · cue · vault · land · nail

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  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. land — ground
  2. saw — the tool
  3. land — a country
  4. prune — to trim
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. saw — the tool
  7. land — to come down
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — a group
  15. cue — a hint
  16. vault — a safe
  17. fall — to drop
  18. prune — to trim
  19. club — for golf
  20. cue — a signal
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. cue — for pool
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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