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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: swing · vault · land · hand · wound · stand · prune · mate

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. swing — in golf
  4. stand — to bear
  5. prune — to trim
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. wound — an injury
  8. vault — a safe
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. mate — a friend
  12. land — ground
  13. prune — to trim
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. mate — a partner
  16. swing — music
  17. wound — an injury
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. land — to come down
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. swing — to play on
  24. mate — to breed

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