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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 116 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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. vault — a safe
  3. prune — to trim
  4. field — a subject
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — for sport
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. band — a music group
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. band — a ring
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. tear — to rip
  24. patient — a sick person

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