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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.

Make a worksheet

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: prune · court · cabinet · hand · lash · march · scale · vault

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. prune — to trim
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. scale — size or range
  9. prune — to trim
  10. vault — a safe
  11. court — for sport
  12. march — the month
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. scale — in music
  16. march — music
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. march — the month
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — of law
  22. hand — help
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. lash — to lash out

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