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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. drill — army training
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. prune — to trim
  5. scale — in music
  6. stock — shares
  7. stem — to come from
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. prune — to trim
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. scale — size or range
  15. key — in music
  16. drill — a practice
  17. key — for a lock
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. key — the most important part
  20. stock — goods
  21. drill — the tool
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. pitcher — a jug

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