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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: stick · coach · roll · march · prune · bat · chip · vault

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. prune — to trim
  3. march — the month
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. prune — to trim
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. march — the month
  12. roll — a list
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. march — music
  16. chip — for betting
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. roll — a cake
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bat — the animal
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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