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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: ground · mine · hand · prune · vault · bulb · mark · swing

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. prune — to trim
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — in golf
  6. mark — a grade
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. ground — the earth
  15. swing — music
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. mark — a trace
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. prune — to trim

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