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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: prune · last · roll · vault · straw · pop · fork · squash

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. squash — to crush
  3. prune — to trim
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. pop — soda
  6. squash — the sport
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. last — final
  9. roll — a list
  10. pop — music
  11. prune — to trim
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. last — to go on
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. last — finally
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. roll — a cake
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. fork — in a road
  24. pop — to visit

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