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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. vault — a safe
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. drill — army training
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — for pool
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. drill — the tool
  16. file — a document
  17. cue — a hint
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. file — a line of people
  21. staff — employees
  22. file — a tool
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. drill — a practice

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