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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. roll — a cake
  5. drill — the tool
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — a safe
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. prune — to trim
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. foot — a measure
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. clip — to cut
  18. roll — a list
  19. clip — a video
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. clip — for paper
  22. prune — to trim
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — a practice

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