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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. hand — help
  5. tear — to rip
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bear — the animal
  9. swing — music
  10. cue — a hint
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cue — for pool
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. tear — from crying
  15. swing — in golf
  16. hand — in cards
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. cue — a signal
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bear — the animal
  21. board — a committee
  22. vault — a safe
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. board — to get on

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