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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. race — the arms race
  3. perch — the fish
  4. squash — the sport
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. prune — to trim
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. race — humankind
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. tube — the underground
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. race — a contest
  19. prune — to trim
  20. squash — to crush
  21. vault — a safe
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. row — a line
  24. tube — a container

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