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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 120 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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. root — the cause
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. root — of a plant
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. wound — an injury
  12. root — of a word
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bound — certain
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bound — obliged
  18. prune — to trim

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