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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: fall · chest · vault · game · squash · object · prune · dip

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. chest — of your body
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. game — wild animals
  7. dip — to sink
  8. object — a thing
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fall — the season
  13. vault — a safe
  14. object — an aim
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chest — a box
  19. fall — to drop
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. object — to protest
  22. prune — to trim
  23. squash — the sport
  24. game — a match

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