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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: field · safe · mine · prune · vault · tube · rock · dip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. rock — music
  3. tube — the underground
  4. prune — to trim
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. dip — to sink
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. rock — a stone
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. vault — a safe
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. prune — to trim
  16. field — farmland
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. field — for sport
  19. tube — a container
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. mine — for digging
  24. field — a subject

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