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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.

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: vault · hide · ruler · prune · face · game · spring · bowl

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. face — to confront
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spring — the season
  6. prune — to trim
  7. game — wild animals
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. game — a match
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. face — part of the head
  13. spring — a coil
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. spring — of water
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. vault — a safe
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. prune — to trim
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. ruler — a monarch

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