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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. prune — to trim
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. degree — from a university
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bulb — for light
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cell — in biology
  16. degree — temperature
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. degree — an amount
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. wound — an injury
  23. vault — a safe
  24. plane — an aircraft

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