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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: prune · vault · sharp · rock · staff · fan · bowl · leaves

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. staff — a stick
  13. vault — a safe
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. rock — music
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rock — a stone
  22. sharp — clever
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. leaves — lets stay

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