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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. tear — to rip
  6. capital — money
  7. spring — the season
  8. rash — a series
  9. vault — a safe
  10. current — electric
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. current — happening now
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spring — of water
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rash — hasty
  20. toast — bread
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. spring — a coil
  23. current — of water
  24. prune — to trim

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