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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.

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: deal · prune · fan · roll · band · game · squash · vault

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. roll — a list
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. band — a music group
  9. squash — to crush
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. game — wild animals
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. roll — a cake
  14. prune — to trim
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. squash — the sport
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. band — a ring
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. game — a match
  23. prune — to trim
  24. vault — a safe

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