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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. tear — to rip
  3. vault — a safe
  4. key — in music
  5. bound — tied together
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bound — certain
  8. tear — from crying
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. tear — from crying
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — for a lock
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bound — obliged
  18. nail — for a hammer

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