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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. net — after costs
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cell — a phone
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. vault — a safe
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. cell — in biology
  20. band — a music group
  21. bark — to shout
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. band — a ring
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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