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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 · vault · jam · wave · calf · shower · mine · wound

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. prune — to trim
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. mine — for digging
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. wound — an injury
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. vault — a safe
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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