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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. staff — employees
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rush — hurry
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. staff — a stick
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. hand — help
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. mine — for digging
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. vault — a safe
  21. prune — to trim
  22. staff — employees
  23. tear — from crying
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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