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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 120 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. vault — a safe
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. bear — the animal
  9. field — for sport
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. staff — a stick
  14. prune — to trim
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. staff — employees
  23. rush — hurry
  24. bear — the animal

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