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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 120 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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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 · bulb · scale · kid · field · firm · vault · temple

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. kid — to tease
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bulb — for light
  5. scale — size or range
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. field — for sport
  8. firm — steady
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. kid — child
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. firm — decided
  14. bulb — for light
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. prune — to trim
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. scale — in music
  19. field — a subject
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. vault — a safe
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. prune — to trim
  24. field — farmland

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