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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. prune — to trim
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cap — a hat
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. saw — the tool
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cap — a lid
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cap — of ice
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. hand — in cards

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