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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. vault — a safe
  3. rock — music
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. perch — the fish
  6. net — in sport
  7. prune — to trim
  8. net — after costs
  9. rash — a series
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. tube — a container
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. mine — for digging
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rash — hasty
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. rock — a stone
  24. net — for catching

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