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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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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: net · cell · prune · last · safe · vault · trunk · mine

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  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. net — after costs
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. last — finally
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. cell — a phone
  8. prune — to trim
  9. last — to go on
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. cell — in biology
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. last — final
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. vault — a safe
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. prune — to trim
  23. safe — out of danger
  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