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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cold — not warm
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. prune — to trim
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. tube — a container
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. deal — to handle
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. vault — a safe
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. hide — to keep secret

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