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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spring — the season
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. spring — of water
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. vault — a safe
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. saw — the tool
  16. spring — a coil
  17. band — a ring
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. hand — help
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. prune — to trim
  23. band — a music group
  24. saw — the tool

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