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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. season — in sport
  3. clip — for paper
  4. object — a thing
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. cue — a hint
  7. mug — a cup
  8. object — an aim
  9. mug — to rob
  10. prune — to trim
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. cue — for pool
  13. clip — a video
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. cue — a signal
  17. object — to protest
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. mug — a face
  20. season — of the year
  21. clip — to cut
  22. drill — a practice
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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