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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. vault — a safe
  3. mate — a friend
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mate — a partner
  6. march — the month
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. march — the month
  11. plane — a tool
  12. file — a tool
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. march — music
  15. file — a document
  16. wound — an injury
  17. file — a line of people
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. mate — to breed
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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