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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. race — a contest
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. saw — the tool
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. race — the arms race
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. sharp — clever
  9. prune — to trim
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. field — for sport
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. race — humankind
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. staff — a stick
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — a subject
  23. saw — the tool
  24. vault — a safe

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