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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: leaves · mark · club · pitcher · prune · mine · vault · wind

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a grade
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for golf
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. prune — to trim
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. wind — moving air

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