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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. roll — a list
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. prune — to trim
  6. date — the fruit
  7. band — a music group
  8. vault — a safe
  9. present — the time now
  10. roll — a cake
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. band — a ring
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. present — there
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — to bear
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. present — a gift
  24. stand — on your feet

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