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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: vault · prune · can · ball · chest · wax · land · suit

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. land — ground
  3. chest — of your body
  4. prune — to trim
  5. suit — clothes
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. ball — a great time
  9. suit — to fit
  10. vault — a safe
  11. land — a country
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. can — a tin
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. land — to come down
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ball — a dance
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. suit — in cards
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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