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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 120 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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. band — a music group
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. fork — in a road
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to click
  14. prune — to trim
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — in a race
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. mine — for digging
  20. band — a ring
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. vault — a safe
  24. fork — to eat with

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