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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. prune — to trim
  3. root — the cause
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bound — obliged
  6. roll — a cake
  7. fall — the season
  8. prune — to trim
  9. vault — a safe
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bound — certain
  14. root — of a word
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pitch — completely
  17. fall — to drop
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. roll — a list
  20. root — of a plant
  21. date — the fruit
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. bound — tied together
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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