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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 120 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: key · pop · rule · vault · stem · last · prune · season

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. vault — a safe
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. pop — to visit
  5. key — in music
  6. last — to go on
  7. prune — to trim
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. last — finally
  11. pop — soda
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. key — the most important part
  14. season — in sport
  15. rule — a law
  16. rule — government
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. key — for a lock
  19. last — final
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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