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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: staff · suit · prune · wind · vault · rash · safe · mouse

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. vault — a safe
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. suit — clothes
  6. staff — employees
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. suit — in cards
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. rash — a series
  16. wind — moving air
  17. suit — to fit
  18. rash — hasty
  19. staff — a stick
  20. wind — moving air
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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