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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 · saw · suit · bat · patient · rock · vault · rush

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. vault — a safe
  9. suit — clothes
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bat — the animal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. suit — in cards
  18. rush — hurry
  19. suit — to fit
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. saw — the tool

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