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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rash · season · arm · prune · wax · fine · present

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. season — of the year
  6. fine — all right
  7. prune — to trim
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — the time now
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wax — to grow
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. present — there
  15. rash — hasty
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. prune — to trim
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. fine — high quality
  23. season — in sport
  24. rash — a series

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