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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 120 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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bulb — for light
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. land — ground
  9. season — in sport
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. land — to come down
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. wake — a trail
  15. land — a country
  16. bulb — for light
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. season — of the year
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bulb — of a plant

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