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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. bound — certain
  4. vault — a safe
  5. deal — to handle
  6. prune — to trim
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. capital — money
  9. lean — thin
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bound — obliged
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bound — tied together
  16. prune — to trim
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. capital — a city
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mouse — for a computer

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