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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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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: straw · prune · vault · lie · clip · rule · ground · craft

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. craft — boats
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. prune — to trim
  8. vault — a safe
  9. ground — the earth
  10. craft — a skill
  11. lie — to recline
  12. ground — a position
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rule — a law
  17. clip — to cut
  18. ground — crushed
  19. rule — government
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — a video
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. prune — the fruit

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