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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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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: stick · prune · safe · straw · wax · bound · chair · vault

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bound — tied together
  11. vault — a safe
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bound — obliged
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bound — certain
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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