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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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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 · row · court · press · temple · lash · prune · swing

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. court — of law
  3. swing — in golf
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. court — of a king
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. row — a line
  9. press — a publisher
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. press — newspapers
  12. prune — to trim
  13. press — to push
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. row — to paddle
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. vault — a safe
  19. swing — to play on
  20. court — for sport
  21. prune — to trim
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. swing — music

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