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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. roll — a list
  5. cold — not warm
  6. present — there
  7. content — happy
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. present — a gift
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. present — the time now
  12. content — the amount
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cold — an illness
  17. vault — a safe
  18. rock — music
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. roll — a cake
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — a stone

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