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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.

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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: bowl · vault · land · bay · scale · prune · face · mug

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — in music
  5. mug — a cup
  6. vault — a safe
  7. land — to come down
  8. mug — to rob
  9. prune — to trim
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. face — to confront
  14. land — ground
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. land — a country
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. mug — a face
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. face — part of the head

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