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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. prune — to trim
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. field — farmland
  6. spring — a coil
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — to visit
  9. stand — to bear
  10. staff — employees
  11. vault — a safe
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — music
  14. staff — employees
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. spring — the season
  20. pop — music
  21. field — for sport
  22. spring — of water
  23. field — a subject
  24. rock — to move gently

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