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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mug — a face
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bulb — for light
  6. last — final
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. scale — in music
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bulb — for light
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — a safe
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. last — to go on
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — to rob
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. scale — size or range

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