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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. craft — boats
  5. rock — music
  6. track — a path
  7. board — a committee
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — a safe
  10. track — a song
  11. rock — a stone
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. kid — to tease
  14. prune — to trim
  15. track — to keep track
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. kid — child
  18. wind — moving air
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. craft — a skill
  23. board — to get on
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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