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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. foot — a measure
  3. mine — for digging
  4. cap — of ice
  5. prune — to trim
  6. chest — a box
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. cap — a lid
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. prune — to trim
  11. branch — a division
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. cap — a hat
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. chest — of your body
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. chest — of your body

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