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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. vault — a safe
  3. lean — thin
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. prune — to trim
  7. net — after costs
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. mark — a trace
  10. prune — to trim
  11. net — in sport
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. net — for catching
  14. mark — a grade
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bound — certain
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — to tire
  24. lean — to rest against

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