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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mate — to breed
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mate — a partner
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. spring — of water
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. file — a line of people
  14. vault — a safe
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. content — happy
  17. file — a tool
  18. prune — to trim
  19. spring — the season
  20. content — the amount
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. file — a document
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. mate — a friend

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