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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. vault — a safe
  4. court — of a king
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pit — in a race
  7. firm — steady
  8. root — the cause
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pit — a hole
  11. firm — decided
  12. court — for sport
  13. root — of a word
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. tear — to rip
  16. prune — to trim
  17. root — of a plant
  18. firm — a company
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. court — of law
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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