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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.

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: sharp · kid · prune · squash · spell · mine · bore · vault

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. spell — magic
  3. bore — to tire
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — clever
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. prune — to trim
  8. kid — child
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. squash — the sport
  13. vault — a safe
  14. kid — to tease
  15. prune — to trim
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. spell — a short time
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. spell — letters
  21. squash — to crush
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bore — to drill
  24. mine — for digging

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