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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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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: wind · charge · prune · fine · hand · wake · vault · calf

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. wind — moving air
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wind — moving air
  7. prune — to trim
  8. charge — electricity
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. hand — in cards
  11. vault — a safe
  12. charge — in control
  13. wake — a trail
  14. fine — all right
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fine — high quality
  17. hand — help
  18. prune — to trim
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. fine — a penalty

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