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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — in music
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. prune — to trim
  6. vault — a safe
  7. wax — to grow
  8. ball — a dance
  9. key — the most important part
  10. clip — a video
  11. bear — the animal
  12. clip — to cut
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — a committee
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. board — to get on
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. clip — for paper
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  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