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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 116 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. tear — from crying
  3. court — for sport
  4. prune — to trim
  5. tear — from crying
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. march — the month
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. march — music
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. court — of law
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. court — of a king
  18. vault — a safe
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. tear — to rip
  21. march — the month
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  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