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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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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: vault · fine · net · prune · charge · pound · pop · cold

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cold — an illness
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. charge — a price
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. fine — high quality
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fine — all right
  9. net — for catching
  10. cold — not warm
  11. charge — in control
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — a safe
  14. pop — to visit
  15. charge — electricity
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pop — music
  18. net — after costs
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pop — soda
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. prune — to trim

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