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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bore — to drill
  3. prune — to trim
  4. vault — a safe
  5. ground — the earth
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. pop — to visit
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. pop — soda
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. pop — music
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — crushed
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. cell — in biology

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