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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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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: snap · lie · vault · prune · cell · rush · row · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cell — in biology
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. cell — a phone
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. vault — a safe
  19. row — a line
  20. land — ground
  21. lie — to recline
  22. prune — to trim
  23. row — to paddle
  24. land — a country

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