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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. craft — boats
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cue — for pool
  5. ground — a position
  6. prune — to trim
  7. face — to confront
  8. prune — to trim
  9. face — to point toward
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — to cut
  12. wound — an injury
  13. craft — a skill
  14. ground — crushed
  15. vault — a safe
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. clip — for paper
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. cue — a hint
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. cue — a signal
  23. ground — the earth
  24. wound — an injury

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