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

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. object — to protest
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. object — an aim
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. object — a thing
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. tear — to rip
  11. prune — to trim
  12. roll — a list
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bulb — for light
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. tear — from crying
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. vault — a safe
  20. roll — a cake
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mine — an explosive

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