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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. prune — to trim
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. perch — the fish
  12. rush — hurry
  13. band — a music group
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. vault — a safe
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. band — a ring
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. patient — a sick person

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