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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 116 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: stand · content · spell · vault · pop · prune · last · press

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. press — a publisher
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stand — to bear
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. content — happy
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. last — finally
  14. content — the amount
  15. spell — a short time
  16. last — final
  17. last — to go on
  18. spell — magic
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. press — newspapers
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. press — to push
  24. spell — letters

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