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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: straw · fall · chip · date · prune · bay · lean · vault

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. fall — the season
  5. date — the fruit
  6. chip — for betting
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. lean — thin
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. fall — to drop
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. fall — to drop
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. chip — in a computer

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