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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. current — happening now
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. tear — from crying
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. current — of water
  12. cell — a phone
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cell — in biology
  16. tear — from crying
  17. prune — to trim
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. tear — to rip
  21. current — electric
  22. prune — to trim
  23. vault — a safe
  24. mouse — the animal

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