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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. scale — size or range
  7. vault — a safe
  8. pound — a weight
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. craft — a skill
  21. craft — boats
  22. clip — a video
  23. scale — in music
  24. clip — to cut

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