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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. suit — to fit
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. track — a path
  7. spring — of water
  8. clip — to cut
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — a safe
  11. track — a song
  12. suit — in cards
  13. clip — a video
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. spring — a coil
  17. mate — a partner
  18. suit — clothes
  19. spring — the season
  20. clip — for paper
  21. track — to keep track
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mate — a friend

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