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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 116 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: vault · rush · snap · present · face · prune · safe · cold

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. face — to confront
  3. prune — to trim
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. present — a gift
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. face — to point toward
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. cold — an illness
  14. present — the time now
  15. face — part of the head
  16. vault — a safe
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. rush — hurry
  20. snap — to click
  21. prune — to trim
  22. present — there
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. safe — out of danger

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