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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.

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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: kid · vault · content · rash · march · swing · prune · bay

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. march — music
  4. swing — music
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. march — the month
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. swing — in golf
  11. vault — a safe
  12. swing — to play on
  13. kid — child
  14. content — happy
  15. march — the month
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. rash — hasty
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. rash — a series
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. kid — to tease
  24. content — the amount

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