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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: last · season · saw · vault · prune · tear · current · stock

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. saw — the tool
  5. vault — a safe
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stock — goods
  8. last — to go on
  9. current — happening now
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stock — shares
  12. season — in sport
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. current — electric
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. prune — to trim
  17. season — of the year
  18. last — finally
  19. current — of water
  20. last — final
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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