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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: craft · trunk · band · vault · current · swing · date · prune

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — boats
  3. swing — music
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. swing — to play on
  7. prune — to trim
  8. current — happening now
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. vault — a safe
  11. current — electric
  12. date — the fruit
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. band — a ring
  15. swing — in golf
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. current — of water
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. prune — to trim
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. band — a music group

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