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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. march — music
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. march — the month
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rock — a stone
  11. wake — a trail
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. rock — music
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. vault — a safe
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. march — the month
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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