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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: swing · foot · file · prune · pound · mug · vault · ground

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. pound — a weight
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. ground — the earth
  5. foot — a measure
  6. file — a line of people
  7. ground — a position
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. swing — in golf
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. mug — a cup
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. vault — a safe
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mug — to rob
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a tool
  20. ground — crushed
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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