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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. present — there
  8. mate — a friend
  9. vault — a safe
  10. mate — to breed
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. degree — from a university
  14. content — happy
  15. degree — an amount
  16. present — a gift
  17. content — the amount
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. present — the time now
  20. prune — to trim
  21. degree — temperature
  22. mate — a partner
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. content — videos and posts

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