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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. stem — to come from
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. current — of water
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. current — happening now
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. drill — a practice
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. roll — a list
  16. current — electric
  17. roll — a cake
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. prune — to trim
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. prune — to trim

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