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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. prune — to trim
  5. roll — a cake
  6. cap — a hat
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. content — happy
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cap — of ice
  12. roll — a list
  13. race — humankind
  14. vault — a safe
  15. content — the amount
  16. present — the time now
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. race — a contest
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. cap — a lid
  21. present — there
  22. present — a gift
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. race — the arms race

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