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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. spring — a coil
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. spring — of water
  13. file — a document
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. vault — a safe
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. date — the fruit
  19. spring — the season
  20. bore — to tire
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bore — to drill
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. tear — to rip

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