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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  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. vault — a safe
  2. season — of the year
  3. rest — what's left
  4. spring — a coil
  5. season — in sport
  6. rash — hasty
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. degree — temperature
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. rest — what's left
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. prune — to trim
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. rest — a break
  19. rash — a series
  20. spring — the season
  21. degree — from a university
  22. spring — of water
  23. nail — on a finger
  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