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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: bear · prune · spell · fall · file · vault · game · content

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. spell — letters
  3. vault — a safe
  4. file — a line of people
  5. fall — the season
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. file — a tool
  8. fall — to drop
  9. content — the amount
  10. fall — to drop
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. spell — magic
  13. prune — to trim
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. content — happy
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. prune — to trim
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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