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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  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. rash — on the skin
  2. fine — high quality
  3. rash — a series
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fine — all right
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. scale — in music
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. vault — a safe
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. content — happy
  19. scale — size or range
  20. content — the amount
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fork — in a road
  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