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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. spring — a coil
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. rest — a break
  9. prune — to trim
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — bread
  12. board — to get on
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. wind — moving air
  15. spring — of water
  16. mine — for digging
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. vault — a safe
  20. spring — the season
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. board — a committee
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mine — belonging to me

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