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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: snap · object · prune · vault · key · plane · cell · straw

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. key — for a lock
  5. prune — to trim
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — a tool
  12. object — to protest
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. cell — a phone
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. object — an aim
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. object — a thing
  20. prune — to trim
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. cell — in biology

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