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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. row — a line
  4. bark — to shout
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bulb — for light
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mine — for digging
  16. vault — a safe
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. row — to paddle
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. pound — for dogs

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