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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. shower — rain
  3. track — to keep track
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. track — a path
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bat — the animal
  14. track — a song
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. shower — to wash
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. vault — a safe
  24. stand — to bear

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