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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. prune — to trim
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. snap — to click
  6. prune — to trim
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. chip — to eat
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pound — a weight
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. tear — from crying
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. vault — a safe

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