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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  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. vault — in gymnastics
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. root — of a plant
  6. clip — to cut
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. land — a country
  9. land — to come down
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. race — a contest
  12. clip — for paper
  13. prune — to trim
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. root — the cause
  16. race — humankind
  17. clip — a video
  18. land — ground
  19. race — the arms race
  20. season — of the year
  21. root — of a word
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. vault — a safe
  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