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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 116 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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. press — to push
  3. field — farmland
  4. object — an aim
  5. press — a publisher
  6. prune — to trim
  7. saw — the tool
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. object — to protest
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a plant
  12. field — a subject
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. field — for sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. ball — a dance
  19. root — of a word
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. object — a thing
  22. ball — a great time
  23. saw — the tool
  24. press — newspapers

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