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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. prune — to trim
  3. firm — steady
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tube — the underground
  6. firm — decided
  7. field — farmland
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. vault — a safe
  11. saw — the tool
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. tube — a container
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. firm — a company
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — to visit
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. field — for sport
  23. prune — to trim
  24. field — a subject

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