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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: bowl · prune · coach · mark · field · bat · vault · nail

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. field — farmland
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. vault — a safe
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. field — a subject
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bat — the animal
  20. prune — to trim
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. field — for sport
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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