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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lean — to bend
  3. ground — crushed
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. ground — a position
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. lean — thin
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fork — in a road
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — a safe
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ground — the earth

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