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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 116 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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. degree — from a university
  3. track — a song
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. fork — in a road
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. wind — moving air
  14. track — a path
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. prune — to trim
  17. vault — a safe
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wind — moving air
  20. degree — an amount
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. degree — temperature
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. track — to keep track

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