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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mine · clip · bulb · leaves · vault · prune · march · shower

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. shower — to wash
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. clip — for paper
  6. vault — a safe
  7. march — the month
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. clip — to cut
  10. march — the month
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. shower — rain
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. prune — to trim
  16. march — music
  17. clip — a video
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. prune — to trim
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mine — for digging
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bulb — for light

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